Wigan's Cotton Works has landed a massive £25m from Mayor Burnham's Good Growth Fund

Hundreds of jobs and scores of homes are to be created after the ambitious project near Wigan Pier was awarded a cool £25m from the Greater Manchester Good Growth Fund.

It was part of a £400m package signed off by the city-region’s 10 leaders and its Mayor Andy Burnham, who launched the programme and had expressed admiration for the redevelopment of the 16-acre former Eckersley’s Mills site during a tour of its first phase at the beginning of this year.

Visitors are already flocking to Mill One, which boasts the Three Mills Alehouse, several floors of businesses and a co-working space while hosting the popular Feast at the Mills next door.

That huge building will also eventually be home to a ground floor food hall and roof-top bar.

But that is just the beginning and now this cash will allow owner and developer Heaton Group to move onto restoring and transforming the massive Mill 3 on the site into commercial, office, leisure, and healthcare space creating 670 workers.

And it will also help to fund the building of almost 180 new homes.

Cotton Works’ inclusion in the first phase of a £1bn funding programme reflects the continued progress of the scheme and the contribution it is expected to make as part of Wigan’s wider regeneration pipeline.

The Good Growth Fund is designed to unlock significant public and private investment between now and 2027, with early projects selected across all boroughs.

This announcement comes alongside confirmation from Wigan Council that the borough is expected to benefit from £1bn of inward investment by 2028, according to a report presented to Cabinet.

The report highlights £521m already invested in capital projects between 2018 and 2024, with a further £479m planned through to 2028.

The funding for Cotton Works is intended to act as a catalyst for Wigan: helping to drive further investment into the area and accelerate the town’s long-term regeneration.

Together the second mill development and new homes – which at present are called Block A – aim to create a mixed-use neighbourhood designed to generate jobs, support local businesses and enhance local amenities.

The development is expected to create between 400 and 500 jobs during the construction phase and provide new homes for around 300 residents.

With a focus on health, wellbeing and sustainable movement, Cotton Works aims to establish a true "10-minute community.”

The site is already contributing to local employment, with more than 800 people working within Mill One alone, and several businesses already choosing to establish themselves long-term in Wigan.

Bosses say that Cotton Works will continue to deliver meaningful community impact as the scheme progresses, creating a vibrant destination that attracts visitors from across the region.

Through initiatives such as its artisan markets delivered in partnership with Independent Street, seasonal and monthly events at Feast at the Mills, and the upcoming first annual Light the Works ceremony, the development is already establishing a cultural and social hub for Wigan.

These events support local traders and talent while strengthening community engagement and helping to shape a sense of place within the emerging neighbourhood.

John Heaton, managing director of Heaton Group, said: “Being included in the first wave of the Good Growth Fund is a strong endorsement of what Cotton Works will bring to Wigan.

"This support helps accelerate our delivery and strengthens our commitment to creating a neighbourhood that drives long-term investment, jobs, and opportunity for the borough.”

As the Good Growth Fund progresses, Cotton Works plans to continue working closely with regional partners to deliver the next phases of the 16-acre masterplan – transforming the historic Eckersley’s Mills site into a landmark destination for living, working and leisure.

Mr Burnham said: “Greater Manchester is raising the bar on growth.

“Our first decade of devolution has transformed our city region – we are the fastest growing part of the UK economy. We should be proud of that, and proud of the real, tangible growth we see in our city centres.

“But we know we can go even further and faster in the next decade. We will bring good growth to every corner of Greater Manchester, so everyone and every place can contribute to and benefit from that economic growth.

"Today we are backing the first 17 projects in a pipeline that will deliver new homes, jobs, infrastructure, and transport links across our 10 boroughs.

“Make no mistake: this a moment in our devolution journey every bit as big as bus franchising.

“We won’t accept anyone telling us how high to set our ambition. We will back our places, and make sure good growth goes right around Greater Manchester in the decade to come.”

Eckersley’s Mills was for decades one of the major industrial hubs of Wigan, employing thousands at its cotton works.

But by the 1980s its star was beginning to fade and in the years after, it became increasingly dilapidated, although continuing to accommodate an assortment of independent businesses in habitable parts of the complex.

There were various ambitious plans to bring it back to life which came to nothing but then in the early 2020s, Heaton Group took over with a bold masterplan to create an urban village and in the coming years locals and visitors will see the landscape change further as new edifices are built and Mill 2, which is beyond saving, demolished.