Galliford Try picked for £135m Galleries phase one 

Cityheart, Wigan Council’s development partner for the town centre regeneration project, has picked the contractor to build a market hall and food court as well as a 144-bedroom hotel.

BCEGI had previously been attached to the £135m Galleries scheme but Galliford Try has now been selected to take it forward.

P.P.O’Connor is currently on site preparing the ground for the delivery of phase one.

The market and hotel will be followed by the pavilion building, cinema and leisure space, and 464 homes across seven buildings and a retirement living complex. No contract has been awarded for this phase of the project.

Darren Parker, managing director for Galliford Try Building North West said: “The Galleries project will create a real landmark for the town centre and we look forward to playing our part in creating high-quality facilities for local people.”

Leader of Wigan Council, Cllr David Molyneux, said he was “delighted” to have secured Galliford as main contractor due to the firm’s track record on similar schemes.

“I’m confident Galliford Try will be able to deliver the scheme to an exemplary standard,” he said.

Warren Taylor, chief operating officer at Cityheart added: “Galliford Try is one of the UK’s leading construction groups and we’re delighted to be partnering with them to deliver this transformational scheme for Wigan town centre.

“This is a complex, multi-phase scheme in the heart of the town and we are looking forward to seeing the key elements of this transformational project start to emerge this year.”

Wigan council bought the Galleries from Luxembourg-based firm Colcastor in March 2018 before appointing Cityheart in 2021.

Since the development agreement was signed, a hybrid planning consent for the full site has been secured.