Work starts on £135m Wigan Galleries
The first phase of the town centre regeneration project is now underway and will see the existing 440,000 sq ft retail complex demolished to pave the way for 218 homes across four blocks, a new market building, and a hotel.
Contractor BCEGI has now started the initial 18-month programme of work for Wigan Council and the authority’s development partner Cityheart.
The market will be the first element of the £135m project to be delivered, with completion scheduled for 2024.
“We are fully committed to delivering this important scheme and continue to work alongside the council and local community to achieve our vision,” said Warren Taylor, director at Cityheart.
“It is exciting to see the first stage of the transformation taking place. It really feels like tangible progress is being made, which serves to reiterate our message that exciting improvements and changes are coming.”
Plans for the redevelopment of Wigan Galleries, which the council bought from Colcastor in 2018, were approved 12 months ago.
Later phases of the scheme include an additional 265 homes, a multimedia centre, 10,000 sq ft of commercial space, and roughly the same amount of food and beverage accommodation.
The multimedia centre features a cinema, bowling alley, and multipurpose event space.
Cityheart and BCEGI beat off competition from regeneration specialists Muse Developments and a partnership between Maple Grove Developments and Urban Splash to secure the Wigan job.
JM Architects is leading on design and Zerum is the planning consultant.
About time there was some positive redevelopment of the town centre, and good that the new market comes first.
Also think that the leisure led element will (hopefully) breathe some life back into the town. For those of us that have outgrown King Street, there’s not much else going on!
Shame that the clock tower couldn’t be saved/incorporated into the new design though.
By The Wiganer
This award winning building should have been repurposed in line with the council’s green agenda which they have chosen to ignore. Just 8 people who form the cabinet have made this disastrous decision. We already have a cinema complex so no need for another. And why involve the Chinese, a country with the worst human rights abuses in the world. Thousands and thousands of signatures were ignored and one councillor even called us the flat cap brigade because we didn’t want our town demolishing.
By Anonymous
Annoying the money that gets pumped into wigan, which is an awful place to get in/out of, while its surrounding town have no investment, my town is Tyldesley my council tax is high and for what? No investment or services here, just houses being built mostly on greenbelt.
By AL
I think Tyldesley could do with more houses personally
By Levelling Up Manager
Whilst it is nothing but positive to see much needed investment in the town (and the inclusion of residential units to the scheme), it is hard to be enthused by the proposed buildings (particularly the new market) which will replace buildings barely 30 years old with already dated and far from “built to last” architecture. It looks akin to an industrial estate unit slap bang in the heart of the town centre – a real shame that some of the original building(s) could not have been utilised into the scheme more and simply dressed up with additional glazing, green walls and the like..
By Anonymous
The amount of council tax revenue that Wigan Council get from Atherton, Tyldesley and Astley which they use to pump into their own awful town centre is nothing short of disgraceful. The town centre is a ghost town, nobody wants to go there for anything other than the train station for a 1hr55mins train to London. Atherton, Tyldesley and Astley couldn’t be further from the ethos of the Wigan but are robbed of investment from WMBC who the residents pay their hard any money to. This really is a waste of money and will most likely see the lack on interest that Baron’s Quay in Northwich was troubled with.
By A&T
Look at bury packed out bring back old Wigan with outside markets etc
By Linda
Please detail how this is being funded and rate of interest. Thanks
By R wallis
As far as I am aware, no investments have come forward to invest .funds are only available to demolish the buildings
By Anonymous
Will the grand arcade be next in 10 years?
By Anonymous