'There is nothing here now': How people really feel about Wigan town centre

“Who wants a cinema, bowling alley or mini golf? Old people can’t do that,” is what one woman claimed.

Friends Joyce Taylor and Rita Rogers, in the town centre to visit the bank and get a coffee, both believe the £135m Galleries redevelopment is not positive for the town. The former shopping centre is being into an evening entertainment venue with 464 homes and a new market hall.

“There isn’t an array of shops here,” Joyce said.

“You have to go to Manchester or Liverpool [for shopping] and that’s not ideal, especially with the trains at the moment. There is nothing for people our age.

“There is nothing here now. A lot of shops packed up and went when they brought in the Grand Arcade.”

Joyce pointed out the irony that the old Ritz Film Centre cinema was knocked down in 2004 to make way for the Grand Arcade opposite the Galleries – as that is now being bulldozed for a new complex with a cinema.

Fellow retiree Rita added: “It’s what the council wants, what they’re doing now with the Galleries, not the people.”

“What annoys me is that when they built this place they wanted to put a cinema in and a bowling alley. Lots of stupid things like that, so there is nothing to come into Wigan for us older people.

“All the good shops like Debenhams and M&S are gone. We wouldn’t do our Christmas shopping here.

“The council talks about heritage a lot, but they’ve knocked the heritage down to build this place [The Grand Arcade]. There isn’t much left of Wigan.”

Debenhams vacated the Grand Arcade in 2021, which followed closures of other big brands including M&S, BHS and Topman.

Joyce claimed “older people are being penalised” because the bus stops are “too far away” from the centre and often the elderly cannot get up the slopes into the centre of town.

Wigan Council considered public views during the consultation period of the development, according to a spokesman who received note of the criticisms directed at the council.

Another retiree, Pat Whitecunas, agreed with Rita and Joyce about the issues the town centre faced – but believed the council had lost the trust of the people after the last redevelopment of the Galleries.

Pat claimed they “got it wrong” more than 30 years ago, which is why they are redeveloping it again now. She had her own suggestions as to what should go into the numerous empty shop slots.

“We need something like a supermarket in the empty shops. If you live in the centre you have to go out of the centre to get a supermarket which is daft.

“It needs something that brings people in. The Galleries project more for younger people, not for us. What’s a cinema and bowling alley to us?

“Look how many big shops there are in the cities – that would bring me in. If they did the market up to what it used to be it would be packed.”

Her friends Madge Henderson, Ann Whalley and Elizabeth White, all in their 70s, said it can take some people around 45 minutes to get into town from the nearest bus stop.

They all want the best for their town, but lacked confidence it could be delivered through this new project.

Wigan Council bought the Galleries in 2018 in a bid to halt the decline of the town centre.

Its vision was not appreciated by the elderly in the town centre, but two young mums said they would be drawn back to Market Street if the whole package was complete.

Currently they feel there is nothing, other than the nightlife, to bring young people into town.

“There’s nothing here for us,” retail worker Jen Cain said. “There isn’t anywhere to shop on the high street.

“It’s busy on the high street for people but there are no customers when you go around the corner. There is just nothing to bring us in.

“Only Primark has kids’ clothes for example, we need more. I saw the plans for the Galleries redevelopment when they were released. I can’t believe what they’ve got until it’s there though.

The 34-year-old believes the council should lower rents and rates for shops to entice more to come in. Then with more shops they’d get more money and in turn, people would have something to come in for, she claimed.

Hindley resident Dinah Collier said she would “definitely” go into the town if the Galleries brought all it promised.

“Nothing to brings kids in at the moment,” the 26-year-old mum said. “I want something for them to do, activities and so forth.

“People don’t want what’s in the centre at the moment, we want more food places as they only have Greggs and Galloways. I think it would be good if the council did deliver on this.”

Despite this optimism, shoppers are still not impressed with the lack of big names on the high street, following the departure of several brands.

John Smith, 58, said: “The town isn’t great but St Helens, which is close to me, is no better.

“I’d go to Manchester or Liverpool for shopping. It has been six months since I’ve been in town.

“I came to pick up a parcel last time. I was having a look for Christmas shop options whilst I was here but everything’s shut.

“We only have ourselves to blame though because we all went for these retail parks. They’ve driven business away from the town.”