Wigan Market secures £4m funding

Council bosses have pledged £4m to relocate Wigan Market, as part of wider regeneration plans in the town centre.

Throughout November, residents and visitors were invited to give their views on the proposals as part of a general Wigan town centre regeneration survey. One of the proposals is to relocate the current market to a more central and accessible location.

Currently the market hall is located between New Market Street and The Galleries Shopping Centre.

The council is in the process of finding a development partner to deliver its £125m overhaul of the 440,000 sq ft The Galleries which looks at revamping its retail, residential, and leisure offer.

It is anticipated that a preferred partner for the project will be identified in 2020, with development agreements finalised in 2021.

The council acknowledged the redevelopment would take time so has put measures in place to improve existing facilities in the interim. These include painting vacant units, adding seats, cleaning, additional signage, installing WiFi, and hosting themed markets.

Council leader Cllr David Molyneux said: “Wigan Market is a key part of the town and its history. In line with our commitment to working openly with traders we want to improve the market offer so it can thrive in the future.

“A range of options are available for a new market as part of The Galleries redevelopment project and this £4m is a significant investment.

“It’s really important to us that the public are engaged with us on our plans so we can insure we deliver an offer that they can be proud of. It’s also imperative that we work with traders on this too which is why a trader liaison group has been established to ensure market representatives can give us their views.”