New homes being built in Wigan town centre: sneak peek

And the man running the project says that this could be the beginning of many more conversions of vacant premises into homes because there is a “huge demand” for affordable apartments in the town centre.

It was way back in 2016 that planning permission was granted for the upper floors of the Tower Buildings on Wallgate – once a Masonic Hall but long neglected and unused – to be turned into 23 apartments.

Work did get under way, but it was slow because owner Sabbir Kothia was trying to complete it without sub-contractors; later the pandemic hit, slowing progress down even more.

Then last June tragedy struck when Mr Kothia died on a trip to Saudi Arabia.

However business partners Jerome Wood and Ibrahim Mall have now taken up the challenge and work is suddenly advancing apace with a completion date now set for August.

The work is being carried out by Preston-based Optima Construction who have been in the Tower Buildings since December. Thankfully, because some improvements had already been carried out several years ago – including window replacement, sandblasting of the brickwork and roof repairs, the planning permission did not lapse after three years so there was no need for a new application to be submitted.

Optima’s non-executive director Peter Hendry said: “When we took over at the beginning of the year the building was completely derelict inside. Now we have four apartments which are 90 per cent finished and two or three are 75 per cent completed. There are some which are being held up because of fire regulations because they have fire exits nearby or inside, but it’s a real hive of activity with walls being knocked down and doors being put in at quite a lick.

“The main Masonic Hall area is being used for storage at the moment but that will become three apartments too. We are hoping to have everything complete by October and there will be a mix of one-bed, two-bed and studio apartments.”

Repopulation has been a watchword as far as Wigan town centre is concerned in recent years. With the high street declining, finding new ways of putting its buildings to good use has been exercising many a brain.

And while there is a hoped-for greater emphasis on hospitality and entertainment, along with encouraging businesses back into town, having more residents living on its streets – as they did generations ago – is also seen as vital to future success.

Hence the huge Fettlers destination which will replace The Galleries includes 440 apartments as well as a 140-room hotel. There are also plans to create more flats on King Street and Library Street as well as a food hall and boutique hotel.

And Mr Hendry can see plenty more opportunities for homes as well as other enterprises, disclosing that Mr Wood and bar chain boss Tony Callaghan have had “preliminary talks” about some of the properties the latter has up his sleeve in town which have planning permission for various transformations but have yet to get started.

He said: “Jerome and Ibrahim also own the eight apartments above Norman and Philip and people are screaming out for more of them.

"Wigan is a great place to be accommodation-wise, not just for those working in the town its but also those working in Manchester. You can live in an apartment in Wigan for half the price they charge in Manchester and all you have to do is hop on the train to get into the city.

"Those are the people we will be targeting to live in the Tower Buildings. Optima are going to be responsible for the maintenance of the buildings too so it will be down to us as far as dealing with the estate agent is concerned and we don’t want tenants who are going to cause issues for others.”

And as for other sites in the town?

Mr Wood has already taken a look round the former General Post Office further up Wallgate which Mr Callaghan harboured £2m plans to turn into a bar but then shelved amid concerns that the town wasn’t bouncing back sufficiently post-Covid.

Mr Hendry said that one venture being considered was bringing a Wigan Pier Nightclub-style evening, currently held by BTID at Park Hall in Chorley, to the venue, but again matters were at a very early stage, including with Wigan Council.

Mr Callaghan also has planning permission in place for 32 apartments on upper floors over Harry’s Bar and Coral on Wallgate which Optima has taken an interest in taking forward.

And another of his projects on the back burner is the eyesore Grimes Arcade which in 2022 he said could include a up-market coffee bar in a mixed use ground floor, flats on the upper storeys and a comedy club in the basement were all on the cards. But again the development stalled because footfall in the town centre was nowhere near what it used to be.

But with more and more people setting up home just a short walk away, things could be changing in the near future.

Mr Hendry said: “Wigan is a place that is bouncing back and ripe for development. These are exciting times and we want to be a part of them.”

A gallery of pictures from the interior of the hall and the ongoing works will be published later this week.