Wigan Pier: multi-million-pound re-launch will "definitely be completed in 2023"

The man at the centre of Wigan Pier’s re-birth says all the famous buildings will be up and running for business in 2023.
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The redevelopment of the canalside premises has been dogged by problems including the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

But after five years of planning and work, the final pieces of the jigsaw will fall into place in the coming months, said Harinder Dhaliwal, managing director of developer Step Places which is responsible for bringing about the site’s renaissance.

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And rather than seeing recently announced plans to refashion parts of the nearby crumbling Eckersley Mills into an Altrincham Market-style food hall, roof top bar and offices, Mr Dhaliwal welcomed the project from Heaton Group saying the two schemes can complement each other and lead to further improvements to the Pier quarter.

Wigan Pier 2 building - artistic impression of its redesignWigan Pier 2 building - artistic impression of its redesign
Wigan Pier 2 building - artistic impression of its redesign

It was first announced in 2018 that the education centre, former Orwell pub and The Way We Were Museum, which all closed years ago, were to be given an exciting new lease of life.

The new uses of the 55,000ft sq of buildings, includes events spaces for corporate and community hire including weddings and parties, offices/workspace, an educational facility and meanwhile pop-up space for retail, performance, and market food hall events.

A large amount of work has been carried out on the buildings, making it weather-proof, bringing original features back to life, replacing rotten timber and preparing them for fitting out.

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In the summer it was said that the old musuem would be ready for action next autumn while the education centre and former Orwell would be open in the spring.

Step Places managing director Harinder Dhaliwal.Step Places managing director Harinder Dhaliwal.
Step Places managing director Harinder Dhaliwal.

Since then there have been further problems, again caused by the soaring price of materials, which is while there has been relatively little activity on site since. But sub-contractors have finally signed a deal with no risk of further price hikes, they will be moving in within weeks and the schedule for openings will only be delayed slightly.

This has partly been made possible by Step Places putting more money into the project and a redesign that has cut back on a few “luxury items” such as stage lighting which, Mr Dhaliwal said, could always be added in at a later date.

He said: “We are very anxious to get the whole project up and running. We want to see these businesses functioning as soon as possible and that is going to be happening in the next few months.

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"There have been frustrating delays. We were getting prices from sub-contractors that were different from the tender price and we were on a budget.

An artist's impression of how Eckersley Mills could lookAn artist's impression of how Eckersley Mills could look
An artist's impression of how Eckersley Mills could look

"We have put a bit extra in to support it but there’s only so much you can put in before you start asking whether it’s a viable project anymore.

"Happily though, after four redesigns, we are now all systems go and the sub-contractors will be moving in at the end of January or beginning of February.

"Pier 4 (the former Way We Were) shouldn’t be too much affected by the delay, but the launch of Pier 3 (the old Orwell building) may now be in June rather than April/May.”

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Mr Dhaliwal also said that residents of the canalside homes that were built as part of the Pier project will be moving in within weeks and that all were now spoken for.

Wigan PierWigan Pier
Wigan Pier

On the matter of the Eckersley Mills project, being carried out by the Wigan-based Heaton Group which became the site’s owner earlier this year, Mr Dhaliwal said: “I think it will be more complementary to our project than competition.

"I am very excited for the regeneration of Wigan – it has huge potential and it is good to see more developers putting faith in it rather than concentrating, as has been the case in the past, simply on the cities.

"This regeneration needs a number of anchors and so we have our Pier project, Eckersley Mills and also the redevelopment of the Galleries. I have spoken to John Heaton and they will bring a new, critical mass to the town centre and Pier quarter.”

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Mr Dhaliwal said that these projects were not going to be the end of ambitions either.

He added: “Once these projects are ready we will be looking at more of the Pier quarter to see what we can do next. We want the Pier to have more elements and we want to create more vibrancy around it. And the more people are prepared to invest in Wigan projects like this the better.”

Mr Dhaliwal wouldn’t be drawn on what pieces of land or buildings Step Places had in mind particularly, but there are quite a few to choose from.

But he added: “All these projects will complement and enhance each other. I think Wigan is in for a very exciting three to four years.”

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Step Places is working in partnership with Wigan Borough Council, the Canal and River Trust and the Old Courts arts centre which will operate the events, hospitality, and leisure business.

David Jenkins, managing director of The Old Courts, which will be the main operator of Wigan Pier, said: “It’s a great partnership between ourselves, Step Places, Canal and River Trust and Wigan Council and we can’t wait for these iconic beautiful buildings to be a vibrant, cultural destination. It’s really coming together now.”

Aidan Thatcher, Wigan Council’s director for growth and economy, said: “We’re committed to delivering this exciting project and are looking forward to seeing so much of the hard work that has been going on coming to fruition. The Pier is an important and iconic part of our local heritage, synonymous with our borough and renowned far and wide and we’re really looking forward to its next chapter.”

The heritage location known as Wigan Pier lies at the heart of the town’s history and sits a short distance from the centre and its transport links. The area was formerly at the end of a narrow-gauge tram line used to transport coal to the surrounding warehouses.

For generations it was one of the grimmer parts of Wigan and the butt of a joke by music hall star George Formby Snr until Wigan Council decided in the 1980s to capitalise on that piece of comedy and turn the Pier into one of the most popular visitor attractions in the North West complete with a Victorian museum populated by actors.