Transformation for Greater Manchester square could mean it looks like Piccadilly Gardens in the good old days
Plans to transform Mersey Square in Stockport with new trees, plants, and a play area could make it feel ‘like the old Piccadilly Gardens’ in Manchester, a councillor has said.
Stockport council announced plans today (February 5) to revamp the square in the heart of the town centre for ‘the first time in generations’ and make it feel welcoming both day and night.
Mersey Square is located at the entrance to Merseyway shopping centre by the A6, opposite the road from Viaduct Park and the transport interchange.
The scheme includes changing the bear pit – a site which was once used for bear fighting in the 19th century – to make it a ‘focal point’ with a new play space for children.
Concept drawings show new planting and green areas which people can use to meet up and relax.
It comes as Stockport town centre is undergoing a £1bn regeneration project which is creating new homes, businesses, and transport infrastructure.
Christine Carrigan is a councillor in the Brinnington and Stockport central ward and welcomed the plans.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “At the end of the day Mersey Square and the bear pit have been really run down for years, so anything that makes it better will improve things, but I really like the plans in terms of the seating areas, the greenery.
“It’s exactly like the old Piccadilly Gardens, it’s somewhere for people to congregate. The town centre is on the up and this will get more people copping a squat and having a picnic like they used to do in the old Piccadilly Gardens.”
Coun Carrigan added the design would ‘bring one side of the A6 to the other’ by linking Viaduct Park and the spiral ramp at the transport interchange to other routes around the town.
Funding for the project has come from Transport for Greater Manchester and United Utilities, with the money ringfenced to create a new look for Stockport town centre, the council said.
The changes to the area include improved walking and cycling routes that connect the interchange, Merseyway, the Underbanks, and the wider town centre.
Mersey Square could also become a central hub for outdoor events, performances, and community activities once the work is completed.
Coun Micheala Meikle, Stockport council’s cabinet member for regeneration, described the plans as an ‘incredibly exciting’ moment in Stockport’s ongoing transformation.
She added: “Mersey Square sits at the heart of our town centre and acts as the gateway for so many people arriving from our award-winning interchange and these plans will turn it into a space that truly reflects the pride, ambition and creativity of our borough.
“The bear pit is a landmark that means so much to our community, and this transformation will honour that heritage while creating a vibrant, modern space where people want to spend time. This is Stockport continuing to move boldly forward.”
Coun Grace Baynham, the council’s cabinet member for parks, highways and transport, said: “These proposals show just how ambitious we are for our town. Mersey Square will become greener, safer and far more enjoyable for everyone – families, businesses, visitors and residents alike.
“The improvements to walking and cycling routes will make moving through the town centre easier than ever. The work will complement our award-winning spiral ramp that links the town centre to the train station while it will create a further access point for the Trans Pennine Trail and the recently announced Mersey Valley Way.”
A public consultation on the plans has been launched until February 25.