Galliford Try gears up for £135m Wigan Galleries start

Work is set to start later this month on the first phase of the council and developer Cityheart’s plans to construct a 90,000 sq ft market hall, 464 homes, and 10,000 sq ft of commercial space within the town centre.

Galliford Try was chosen as the principal contractor for the first phase – which only consists of the 90,000 sq ft market hall, food court, and a 144-bed Hampton by Hilton hotel – in March.

Previously, BCEGI had been attached to the scheme. Alongside PP O’Connor, BCEGI had led the demolition of the 440,000 sq ft retail complex that had previously occupied the site. Enabling works have also already completed.

Cllr David Molyneux, Leader of Wigan Council, described the market hall as “the heart” of the Wigan Galleries project.

“Wigan is a traditional market town, receiving its Royal Charter in the 13th century,” he said.

“This development will bring our market into the 21st century, creating a vibrant, modern, and thriving space for our traders and visitors to the town, ensuring it has a strong and exciting future with a lot of job opportunities for people both during and after construction.”

Cityheart development director Darren Jones added that he was “delighted” to work with Galliford Try on the first phase of the Galleries scheme, a project he described as “transformational”.

“We are progressing the delivery of the site in various phases in accordance with the planning consents we have secured,” Jones said.

“Throughout the phased development and once the scheme is complete the focus will be on community wealth building with job opportunities for local businesses and residents,” he continued.

“We’re proud to be part of delivering a destination which will enhance the offer in Wigan town centre and bolster the economy in the borough for many years to come.”

Darren Parker, managing director for Galliford Try Building North West, added: “We are pleased to be getting underway with this initial construction phase of the Wigan Galleries project and look forward to working with all the stakeholders involved to deliver social value back into the local community and support Wigan’s investment.”

As part of its programme on the first phase, Galliford Try will also be tasked with conducting ground and enabling works for future phases – which will focus on creating a mixed-use neighbourhood with 464 homes across seven buildings, a retirement living complex, a multi-media centre, and leisure space. A contract has not yet been awarded for the construction of these next phases.

Cityheart declined to provide an estimated completion date for the project due to the phased nature of its delivery, but did note that when the Galleries scheme is finished it is estimated to create 660 full-time jobs and generate £26.5m per year for the local economy.

The Galleries project has been a long time in the making, with the council having acquired the former shopping centre site in March 2018 from Luxembourg-based Colcastor. Cityheart was appointed as development partner in 2021, with planning permission secured later that year with the help of planner Zerum and JM Architects. At the time of planning permission, the project had an estimated cost of £135m.