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Developers interested in Piccadilly area, says council chief
Crain's Manchester Business | 15th June 2010

Developers are showing interest in the area around Piccadilly, according to Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein.

He was speaking just as officials are preparing to slap a compulsory order on the London Road fire station, a landmark Edwardian building owned by Britannia Hotels., which has been largely unused for the past 24 years.

At a breakfast meeting organised by networking group Downtown Manchester in Business, Sir Howard said: ‘Piccadilly and back Piccadilly seem to be an area of interest to developers and investors at the moment and the new Co-op HQ is set to extend the northern boundary to the city centre offering new opportunities.

‘However, we need to simulate the market place as a whole to continue creating the quality office accommodation that there is a real demand for in the city, product like Spinningfields. Design for regeneration of St Peter’s square have been shortlisted and a public consultation is imminent so that too will boost activity and pave the way for the Oxford Road Corridor regeneration plans.’

The Chief Executive said he expected the emergency budget next week to create an ‘opportunity to re-fresh and re-structure public sector services particularly on a neighbourhood level’

Sir Howard added: ‘We’ll need to look at policing, housing, healthcare and education as well as the ways in which we interact with our communities. The public sector is vital in a mixed economy and for the future growth of Manchester.’