Council leader Sir Richard Leese has described Piccadilly as a part of Manchester that generates “strong opinions”.
There’s no doubt about that.
The tattered bullseye of Manchester fell on hard times many years ago and has stirred intense emotional responses in residents ever since.
The area’s chequered history and dangerous reputation are unbefitting of its privileged position as the gateway to the city centre; with the Gardens in particular being plagued with all manner of problems from petty crime to assault.
But things may finally be about to change; for real this time.
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There has been much talk and very little walk surrounding the transformation of Piccadilly so far. But a significant step was taken in late 2020 when construction workers walloped a huge chunk of concrete out of the vilified ‘Berlin Wall‘.
Now, it seems Manchester City Council is keen to keep the ball rolling (and perhaps swinging) – with more development on the way.
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This week, council members opened the floor to the public – starting a big conversation about Piccadilly which will help shape design proposals for its future.
For the next eight weeks, Manchester residents can have their own say; being invited to share their experiences of – and aspirations for – the areas of Piccadilly Gardens, Piccadilly, Mosley Street, Parker Street and Market Street.
Working with landscape architects LDA, the council is looking at different functions – including Piccadilly’s purpose as a route through the city, an interchange for tram and bus passengers, a retail landscape, and an events space.
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Through public feedback, the council is hoping to understand the opportunities, challenges and limitations involved in the area, aiming to find a way to “design out” crime in the area.
Could Piccadilly Gardens be completely transformed?
The Leader of Manchester City Council said that he knew the area “could be better“, but wanted to “understand what people want from the space.”
He stated: “By telling us your experience of the Piccadilly area, including Piccadilly Gardens, you will be helping shape its future.”
Leese also revealed that the council’s ambition was to create a ‘modern Piccadilly area’ with a ‘friendly, lively, public space’.
“We don’t want to turn back the clock to a time when there were far fewer people using the city centre,” he added.
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“We need to look to the future, not the past. Nor do we have a completely blank canvas – there are things such as tram lines and statues, and the Pavilion building which we do not own, which we have to work around.
“But we can and will be imaginative and seek to deliver a public space set in a vastly improved streetscape.”
The council will also be hosting a virtual exhibition offering insight on the proposed vision for Piccadilly, which will be available to view online.
The ‘Piccadilly Conversation’ survey is open for eight weeks, until March 21.
Tram diversions and disruption on Market Street as improvement works are carried out
Emily Sergeant
Essential improvement works are currently taking place on the Metrolink network between Shudehill and Market Street.
As the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network gets under way this month, essential track replacement work is now being carried out in a bid to make the network ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
As of yesterday (1 June) through to Tuesday 9 June, improvement works are taking place in the city centre, and during this time, no trams will operate via Market Street and Shudehill.
This means that, while the work is carried out, some disruption is expected and passengers are urged to ‘plan ahead’ for their journeys.
For the next week, all services from Altrincham will operate to Bury via Exchange Square, and all services from Bury will operate to Altrincham via Exchange Square – with neither calling at Piccadilly Gardens, Piccadilly, Market Street, and Shudehill.
Tram diversions and disruption on Market Street as improvement works are carried out / Credit: The Manc Group
Services from the Trafford Centre will operate to Etihad Campus, while services from Manchester Airport will operate to Victoria via Exchange Square.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has advised that, for customers on the Bury and Altrincham lines, the easiest way to reach Piccadilly will be by changing trams at St Peters Square, although you may need to change platforms for the right trams, so you should check departure boards and signage on stop for more details.
Customers may need to change trams, take a short walk, or hop on the free Bee Network bus to continue their journey. Outside of free bus operating times, however, a replacement bus will operate between Piccadilly and Victoria.
🛠️ Tram works are taking place in the city centre until Tuesday 9 June. Changes to the service pattern are in place:
– Altrincham/Bury & Airport/Victoria services are operating via Exchange Square – Trafford Centre services are operating to Etihad Campus
“These improvements are part of our continued £150m investment to make our tram network safer, more reliable and more resilient for the long term,” commented Ian Davies, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink.
“I’d strongly encourage everyone travelling during this period to plan ahead, as some tram services will need to change while we carry out this essential work.”
Tram services will resume via the Market Street/Shudehill stops from the start of service on Wednesday 10 June.
Everything you need to know about the planned works is on the TfGM website here.
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Pair jailed after filming themselves driving over 130mph before killing man in fatal Manchester collision
Emily Sergeant
Two men who filmed themselves driving at speeds of over 130mph before a fatal collision earlier this year have now been jailed.
20-year-old Uways Hussain, of Marley Road in Manchester, has been sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison, while 23-year-old Usmon Mahmood, of Buller Road in Manchester, has been sentenced to 12 years and nine months.
Their sentences follow a night of what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) called ‘dangerous driving’ around the South Manchester area, which started at around 11pm on the evening before the collision.
The vehicle – a Volkswagon Golf – belonged to Mahmood, but he allowed Hussain to drive the vehicle at high-speed throughout the night.
On the evening prior to the collision, beginning at around 11pm, Hussain and Mahmood were driving recklessly around the South Manchester area.
According to police, the pair filmed themselves consistently travelling at speeds of over 100mph on 30mph roads, and in several cases, theyvreached over 130mph and seconds before impact, were recorded at 139mph.
Recorded footage also showed them running red lights and weaving through traffic with no regard for the safety of other road users or pedestrians.
At one stage during the night, the pair stopped at a petrol station, where footage shows Mahmood inhaling from a balloon in the passenger seat, while later o Hussain can be seen doing over 100mph and also appearing to be inhaling from a balloon while driving.
The fatal collision happened at around 4:36am on Monday 9 March 2026 at the junction of Green End Road and Kingsway, where the victim – Sylvester Abayomi, 50 – was on his way to work and entered the junction on a green light, believing it was safe to proceed, but was then struck by the car being driven by Hussain, which had travelled through a red light at extremely high speed.
Sylvester Abayomi / Credit: GMP
Immediately following the collision, GMP received several emergency calls and an automatic alert from Hussain’s Apple Watch saying he had been involved in a collision.
During this alert, both men could be heard discussing plans to flee the scene and attempting to decide what evidence they needed to remove from the vehicle. They were also heard discussing reporting the vehicle as stolen, and shortly afterwards, they booked an Uber to escape.
Emergency services attended the scene, but sadly, despite their best efforts, Sylvester sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead.
GMP says it received its first report of the incident at 4:37am,, and within 12 minutes the pair had been located, caught, and arrested by officers.
DC Thomas Johnson, from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, described the incident as ‘one of the most extreme cases of dangerous driving we have encountered’.
It’s also believed that this is one of the first times in the country where a passenger has been convicted for aid and abetting causing death by dangerous driving.
The Manc -
29th January 2021 
