City Centre

Ambitious plans to transform notorious Manchester back street that ‘stinks of wee’

A troubled part of the city centre could be given a massive transformation if plans go ahead.

Daisy Jackson - 22nd November 2021

A plan to transform Back Piccadilly – a city centre street plagued by anti-social behaviour – has been revealed.

If it goes ahead, the street will be given ‘high quality landscaping’ and, based on the artist impressions, turned into a road festooned with fairy lights.

Back Piccadilly is currently a key service road for the Northern Quarter and Piccadilly Gardens area, which skirts past Sacha’s hotel.

Thackeray, a real estate investment, development and asset management company, wants to ‘breathe new life’ into a section of the street.

The street is currently lined with bins, covered in graffiti, and ‘stinks of wee‘, leading to some nicknaming it ‘p*ss alley’.

Its proposed revival is part of Thackeray’s plans to transform the 7-9 Piccadilly building into a ‘landmark that aligns with the City Council’s ambition to reshape Piccadilly Gardens’.

The plans include the addition of a roof terrace with panoramic views of the surrounding area.

Read more: Man spotted with ‘flamethrower’ on night out in the Northern Quarter

Thackeray said: “The rear of the building addresses Back Piccadilly and presents a unique opportunity to breathe new life into this part of the City.

“The proposed development will deliver a new access into the proposed office accommodation, providing visual improvements and increased security through passive surveillance.

“The introduction of high quality landscaping and shared surfaces sets out a commitment to urban renewal through the greening of laneways and the creation of a new, reimagined link between Piccadilly Gardens and the Northern Quarter.”

Featured image: Google Maps / Thackeray