The 2000 Piccadilly Gardens redevelopment was always a mistake
From the moment in 1999 I opened the now defunct City Life magazine and saw the computer visualisation of how Piccadilly Gardens was to be redeveloped, I knew it was a mistake.
Manchester City Council simply got it wrong. They thought that by bringing in a fashionable internationally renowned designer - Tadao Ando - to design the concrete wall - and other elements - they would create 'one of the most exciting urban spaces in Europe'.
Unfortunately I and lots of other people could see immediately that the idea was misconceived.
The worst aspect is the placing of a new office block of mediocre design directly on the gardens, reducing their size and impact, and blocking views of the historic buildings at the far end of the square - yes, it is a square.
I know that many councillors within Manchester City Council are dissatisfied with what has happened in Piccadilly Gardens.
Every time I cross that part of the city centre I have to grit my teeth. I now usually walk via the Northern Quarter, or Chinatown, in order to avoid the present Piccadilly Gardens.
There is only one satisfactory solution: Demolish the office block No 1 Piccadilly Gardens - as has happened to many other failed office buildings - remove the concrete wall and pavilion, and start again.
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