THE full plans regarding what's happening in Hardman Square at Spinningfields have now been unveiled by owner and developer, Allied London - directly under the Editor's window in Confidential.  

Originally only a very small part of Hardman Square was due to be public realm. But we have decided that the best way to develop this area is to have more public realm than less

Following Allied London’s acquisition of Capital Hold Co, the holding company of Allied London Properties, and the subsequent refinancing in January, Allied has wasted no time in preparing for the next phase of development, with the rearrangement of Hardman Square the first step in that process. 

Owned by Allied London and legally still a private area, Hardman Square’s public realm is to be known as The Lawns; forming the focal point of the revitalised Square. Created as a series of tiered lawns, the area will have a dual purpose, as both public realm and an event and promotion space and will continue to host the ever-popular Screenfields, with the first screening due to take place at the end of the month. 

Michael Ingall, Chief Executive of Allied London, said; “The former Hardman Square was only ever a temporary public realm solution, with the former grassed areas simply following the layout of an old master plan. It had no real form or purpose, and was becoming very tired. 

“Originally only a very small part of Hardman Square was due to be public realm. But we have decided that the best way to develop this area is to have more public realm than less, and The Lawns has been designed to see how this may work in the context of the revised masterplan. 

“This area now follows the new master plan agreed with our partners Manchester City Council. Essentially, it’s a pre-cursor to the next phase of full scale development, with both Quay House and the site along Byrom Street the planned locations for future buildings. 

“We have always tried to use future development sites for public realm and landscaping so people can use the entire area and importantly no one senses they are working in a development site. This means more investment and adds to the site’s sustainability, as we have proved already with Hardman Square, The Oast House and Courtyard. The Lawns are simply a continuation of this successful strategy."  

In addition to The Lawns, at the end of the month, two pop-up restaurant bars will emerge, The Long Bar, designed by creators of The Oast House, Spinningfields-based Paul Danson Imagineering, who have also supervised the public realm works, and Bloom, designed by another local designer, Darwent Architecture. 

Ingall continued; “We have really tried to work with local talented people, who share our vision and can interpret what we are trying to do, and we want to continue to work with local independent operators going forward.”