Planning approval has been granted for the ‘Glade of Light,’ commemorating those who lost their lives
Planning approval has been granted today (21st January) for the memorial to those who lost their lives in the Manchester terror attack on 22nd May 2017.
The Glade of Light, designed to be a living memorial - a tranquil garden space for remembrance and reflection - was endorsed by the Council's planning committee.
Construction work is due to start at the beginning of March and complete in November this year.
The memorial will be located between Manchester Cathedral and Chetham's School of Music, at the foot of Fennel Street where it meets Victoria Street.
Glade of Light is designed to be a peaceful garden space, with a planting scheme planned to ensure year-round colour and reflect the changing seasons; a living memorial that uses plants which grow naturally in the UK countryside. Tree locations have been calculated to maximise light and ensure the garden gets as much sunlight as possible.
The centrepiece of the memorial is a white stone ring 'halo' which will bear the names of the 22 who lost their lives set in bronze. Personalised memory capsules, containing memories and mementos to be provided by their loved ones, will be held within the stone.
Families of those who lost loved ones in the attack have been consulted and kept informed during the memorial process, including on the appointment of designers BCA Landscape and Smiling Wolf.
Leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, said: "This memorial at the heart of our city promises to be a beautiful tribute to those whose lives were so cruelly cut short on 22nd May 2017. Their memories will endure and Manchester will never forget them.
"The Glade of Light will become part of the fabric of our city, a calm and peaceful place which will blend seamlessly with the regeneration of the wider Medieval Quarter in which it sits."
Chief executive of Manchester City Council, Joanne Roney OBE, said: "Reaching this point has involved a long and meticulous journey. We made a solemn commitment to honour the 22 people who were killed in that heinous attack and it was important that we took great care to deliver something moving and appropriate."
