St Peter's Square transformation

St Peter's Square is to be transformed as part of a £165m project to improve services and public spaces in and around the Town Hall, the Town Hall Extension and Central Library.

The square is currently a hotpotch of bus lanes, tram lines, monuments, and open spaces, with little harmony between the different elements. It is home to some of the city's finest public buildings and is a major gateway to the city centre thanks to the Metrolink stop. However, it far from reaches its potential as a public space. The council rightly thinks that it needs significant enhancement.

The Town Hall has put out a notice calling for formal expressions of interest from design teams with a track record in public realm designs. Six bidders will be shortlisted by April and invited to participate in the full design competition. The appointment of the successful design team will be made by October 2010.

The design brief also includes Library Walk, the curved walkway which runs between the Town Hall extension and Central Library. The scheme for St Peter’s Square will feature elements of public art, potentially including a contemporary memorial to the 1819 Peterloo Massacre. The Cenotaph will not be affected by the redesign.

The council sees the redevelopment of the square as an opportunity to drive economic growth in the Oxford Road corridor. The transformed square will be the focus for developments at Elisabeth House (click here), the former Odeon Cinema and other nearby properties.

Councillor Bernard Priest, Manchester City Council’s executive member for finance and human resources, said: “This competition is the perfect opportunity to underline Manchester’s growing international status by providing an example of the very best in civic architecture. There’s sure to be considerable interest in this competition and we look forward to selecting a truly world-class design.”