How can we help?

Thanks for getting in touch!

Error!

Please get in touch if you’d like to know more about us and how we work with our clients, consultants and colleagues.

One of our team will be in touch as soon as possible.

Something's wrong. Please try it again.

Privacy & Cookies

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy sets out how Weston Williamson + Partners uses and protects any information that you give us when you use this website. We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page; please check back from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from May 1 2018.

What we collect

  • Contact information including email address
  • Anonymous website analytics statistics

What we do with the information we gather

  • Internal record keeping
  • We may use the information to improve our products and services

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, please note that we do not have any control other websites and cannot be held responsible for the protection of any information you provide whilst visiting any third party site.

Controlling your personal information

  • You may request details of, or deletion of, personal information which we hold about you under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please telephone the studio on +44 (0) 20 7401 8877

--

Cookies

In order for this site to work properly, we sometimes place small data files called cookies on your device.

What are cookies?

A cookie is a small text file saved on your computer or mobile device by a website when you visit https://www.westonwilliamson.com. The cookie enables the website to remember your actions and preferences such as login, language, font size and other display preferences to keep you from having to reenter them on every visit to the website or when browsing from page to page.

How do we use cookies?

A number of the pages on our website use cookies to remember:

Your display preferences, such as contrast and color settings or font size Whether or not you have already replied to a survey popup that asks you if the content was helpful or not so that you won’t be asked over and over again Whether or not you have agreed to our use of cookies on this site In addition some embedded videos in our pages use a cookie to anonymously gather statistics on how you got there and what videos you viewed. Although enabling these cookies is not strictly necessary for the website to work, it will provide you with a better browsing experience. Cookies can be deleted or blocked, but some features of this site may not work as intended should you do so. The cookie-related information is not used to identify you personally and the pattern data is fully under our control. The cookies on this website are not used for any purpose other than those described here.

How to control cookies

You can block and/or delete cookies as you wish using your browser settings.You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set your browser to prevent them from being placed. By doing this you may have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit https://www.westonwilliamson.com and some services and functionalities may not work.


Manchester Piccadilly: High Speed Station Square

Weston Williamson + Partners, together with engineering consultants Expedition have developed a proposal for a new and fully integrated high-speed station development at Manchester Piccadilly Station. The proposal is an alternative to the existing plans for Manchester Piccadilly station devised by HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). Our proposal offers significant advantages in terms of connectivity and value for money in infrastructure investment.

History

Manchester Piccadilly station will become an important station hub as part of the HS2 and NPR infrastructure projects. The current plans by HS2’ is for a new high-speed terminus station on the east side of the existing Network Rail station, approached via a new high-speed tunnel into the city centre from Manchester Airport. Although the new HS2 line would approach the proposed terminus below ground, the terminus itself would be above ground level.

If the new HS2 and NPR platforms at Manchester Piccadilly station are built as terminus platforms as planned, future generation of


Mancunians will continue to suffer the cross-city rail connectivity problems that the city inherited as a legacy of un-coordinated railway planning in the 19th century. The existing scheme has the disadvantage of significantly slowing down journeys across Manchester, and substantially reducing the capacity on the new station platforms. Our High-Speed Station Square proposal continues the planned HS2 tunnels south of Manchester Piccadilly. Creating an “S-shaped” high-speed rail tunnel below central Manchester that allows train services to pass between Manchester Airport and West Yorkshire via Manchester Piccadilly without having to reverse.

A brand-new public space

Our High-Speed Station Square proposal will create an integrated and efficient transportation hub, and an entirely new urban quarter above and adjacent to the station. At the heart of this is a new pedestrianised square, acting as a spacious forecourt to both the new high-speed station and the existing Network Rail station, and providing a focus for regeneration around Store Street, Chapeltown Street and the Ashton canal.

With the new platforms and concourses of the station built below ground, the ground level is kept free for public realm and new buildings for commercial and civic use.


Above the station new opportunities for commercial development are created, delivering a new business district within the city centre. Below the station extensive arches space can be repurposed as retail arcades accessed from the Station Square.

By keeping the trains and the station below ground rather than on a viaduct, urban severance to the east of the station is avoided. The Square itself is directly linked to the surrounding streets creating a new focus for regeneration to the north, enhancing wider connectivity.

A fully integrated and modern transportation hub

The High-Speed Station Square provides a fully integrated high-speed railway station alongside the existing Piccadilly station, offering improved connectivity and capacity for high speed train services.

The station features extensive passenger concourses below ground to serve the high-speed platforms, and allows cross-platform interchange between HS2 and NPR train services. In addition the new Station Square allows for easy interchange between train services and onward journeys via trams, buses, taxis, cycles and car-share.

A new zero-carbon urban-quarter for central Manchester

Station Square would become a zero-carbon emissions district with private cars excluded and tree-lined pedestrian spaces created, promoting healthy living for all those who visit this modern and vibrant new area. Finally extensive green landscaping creates a walkable environment that encourages active mobility.

Value for Investment in new Rail Infrastructure

By combining infrastructure for HS2 and NPR into the same integrated project, our High-Speed Station Square offers better value-for-money than developing infrastructure for HS2 and NPR as separate projects.

The opportunity for extensive new commercial developments adjacent to and above the new station offers the potential for the project to be part funded by the real-estate value of such developments.



Looking wider, the proposal would allow direct high speed train services from Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow to Leeds via Manchester Piccadilly greatly improving connection across the north. Direct HS2 services between London and Leeds would also become possible via Manchester. This would have the option of deferring the Phase 2b branch between Birmingham and Leeds and so save several billion pounds.

How can we help?

Please get in touch if you’d like to know more about us and how we work with our clients, consultants and colleagues.