Contenders shortlisted for multi-million-pound regeneration masterplan of Wigan town centre shopping mall

The borough council, which took over the mall two years ago in a bid to breathe new life into it after years of seeing it haemorrhage retailers while under private ownership, remained tight-lipped today about its ongoing search for a business partner on the project.

But it was reported on the Place North West website that Muse Developments, Cityheart with BCEGI, Queensberry and Eric Wright Group have been shortlisted.

The authority has already given residents a vision of what the facility’s future could look like.

And whomever is chosen it would be quite different from what is there now, with apartments, restaurants and bars, an upmarket cinema, bowling alley, office space aimed primarily at start-ups and workers in modern high-tech industries and even a hotel among the ideas potentially on the drawing board.

Some of the town centre’s most popular and attractive shopping arcades will also be retained and it is hoped there will be a new market hall in the final design somewhere.

The announcement of the search for a development partner last autumn quashed any idea the local authority might have been looking to sell The Galleries.

The town hall stressed that none of the discussion points were set in concrete and all subject to lengthy conversations once a strategic partner comes on board, which would take several months.

However, Wigan Council’s director of economy and skills Becca Heron said last year that whatever ends up inside The Galleries it is impossible for the centre to remain as it is now.

She added: “Wigan town centre faces similar challenges to a number of others. We’ve got an over-supply of retail space and shopping habits have changed.

“People need new reasons to come into the town centre. We never bought The Galleries to run it as a retail asset. We bought it back for the purposes of redevelopment.

“We’re looking for a partner who will share our long-term vision and we want to bring in a number of different uses.”

Place North West pointed out that Muse and Cityheart were also recently in competition over a residential project in Stockport Interchange which the latter won as a joint venture with Rise Homes.

It said that in Wigan, Cityheart is partnering with BCEGI, the Chinese-owned construction and engineering company which is also increasing its foothold in Greater Manchester with work in Bolton on the £100m overhaul of Crompton Shopping Centre with Midia.

Asked for confirmation about the shortlisting, a Wigan Council spokesman said that the authority had nothing to say other than deliberations were continuing.