Planning application submitted for £135 million redevelopment of Galleries Shopping Centre

The blueprint includes detailed and outline proposals covering leisure facilities such as a multimedia centre, which will be home to a multi-screen cinema, a 10-lane bowling alley, new food and drink outlets, multi-purpose venue and indoor mini-golf.

A purpose-built pavilion off Market Street will provide new food and drink establishments and evening entertainment.

A new, more centrally located market hall will be delivered, which will include traditional market stalls, new retail units, co-working spaces, small offices and a contemporary vibrant food hall.

The proposals also include a new hotel and 464 new high-quality homes ranging from one-bedroom apartments to three-bedroom town houses and retirement living.

The application has been made jointly by developer Cityheart and Wigan Council and comes after years of locals and visitors seeing the shopping mall decline in popularity and use. So exasperated with its performance was the local authority that it bought the premises by from its private owners several years ago.

Warren Taylor, director of Cityheart, said: “Today marks an important milestone and step forward in the delivery of this critically important re-development project in the heart of Wigan town centre.

“Over the last six months, the team has carried out extensive consultation events and one-to-one sessions with local businesses and residents to share our exciting and innovative vision for the future of Wigan town centre that will dramatically revitalise the area and become a place where people will want to live, work and visit.

“These plans support the Wigan Town Centre Strategic Regeneration Framework developed by the council last year and are a vital step in securing the future economic success and sustainability of the heart of the town.”

Cityheart, a North West-based property development is in a joint venture partnership with BCEGI which will lead the construction programme for the new scheme.

The scheme will be known as Galleries 25.

Becca Heron, director of economy and skills at Wigan Council, said: “We thank the public for their helpful comments to date and as local planning authority, we urge people to read the application and supporting documents and formally submit their views.

“The application is now going through the statutory process and will be determined in the autumn in line with national and local planning policy.” If granted, work is expected to start on site in January next year.

More than 600 full-time equivalent jobs will be created once the site is operational and further jobs and apprenticeships will be created during the construction stage.

The plans can be viewed on the dedicated consultation website: www.galleries25.com.