Six chasing £25m Piccadilly Gardens makeover in Manchester

Six teams have until autumn to work up bids for a £25m scheme to overhaul Piccadilly Gardens in the middle of Manchester.

In all, 10 teams entered the competition with the remaining six now developing detailed concept designs for the city council where they will set out their ideas.

The 10-acre site covered by the competition also includes Mosley Street, Parker Street, the section of Portland Street which runs alongside Piccadilly Gardens and the section of Piccadilly which borders the Gardens.

The design brief envisages that “Piccadilly will be a special place with a strong sense of identity, welcoming and uniquely Mancunian and allowing for the flexible hosting of events: A place for all, incorporating space where children can play, and one that is fully accessible.”

The design will need to retain the existing listed monuments and statues, and tramlines and infrastructure as well as an existing pavilion.

A winner is due to be named next year.

In a prior information notice for the competition published last summer, the council said that it was important to the people of Manchester to have a green space in the city centre.

The council has previously said it wanted to create a space that people are talking about “for all the right reasons”.

The reputation of the area has deteriorated in recent years with it becoming notorious for drug abuse, rough sleeping and crime.