Wigan Pier rebirth shelved again as developer goes in search of new partners

That is because developer Step Places has parted company with its original operator, The Old Courts, after experiencing a post-Covid surge in alternative offers from national event companies.

The Manchester-based business says that this has led it to “engage with the wider market for the best possible opportunity” for the scheme and so has put the operator role out to tender with the mutual agreement from its original partner which can still put in its own bid.

While in the long run it might mean that the end products at the canalside buildings off Wallgate are more ambitious than before, it does mean that another completition deadline – the latest being for this autumn – will come and go on a project first unveiled in 2018 with a finish date given as 12 months later!

Major structural issues, a pandemic and a subsequent struggle to find suitable contractors and fixed prices due to workload backlogs and galloping inflation all conspired to thwart those ambitions.

Reluctant to say when exactly visitors will finally start enjoying the facilities – which until now have included a food hall, education centre and function rooms – Step Places said there could be an announcement of a successful bidder towards the end of 2024.

Once that has happened, a contractor is still ready and able to begin fitting-out work on the three historic premises which have already undergone millions of pounds worth of restoration and weatherproofing work. And the estimated time for that final phase was and still is 16 to 20 weeks.

So it is possible that the old Way We Were museum, Orwell and education centre could be buzzing with life next spring. But until a new operator is signed up, there is no point carrying on any interior works in case some of the ideas change.

The development in total comprises 55,000ft sq of office space, events and commercial spaces for food and beverage outlets, as well as leisure, retail, and community facilities.

Step Places’ managing director Harinder Dhaliwal said: “We have invested millions of pounds in the Wigan Pier scheme over four years and we are committed to delivering the best possible facility for the town.

“Post-Covid, we are delighted to see real interest in Wigan Pier from the leisure and hospitality sector. We have had approaches from the creative, music and leisure scene.

“Our ambition from the start was to put this area back on the map as one of the premier cultural destinations in the North, and so this is an opportune time to go the market and see the full range of partnership options.

“It is important for Wigan that the town gets the best possible benefits from the scheme.”

Mr Dhaliwal said that after the Pier project appeared in a BBC article, Step Places was approached by two or three national operators of cultural events and then in the last couple of months it received overtures from two more major parties and so it was deemed “prudent to take stock here, find out what the rest of the market had to offer” and open the operating side up to tendering.

He wouldn’t be drawn on identifying those showing an interest but they have reputations for running cultural/musical events around the UK, hosting gigs, festivals, concerts and private functions complemented by a food and beverage offer.

Mr Dhaliwal said emphatically that there had been no falling out between parties, that the Old Courts were welcome to tender and that it might even turn out that they are the best for the job after all. But in the meantime Step Places wanted to explore all the best options for this landmark project.

He said: “It’s been a long journey because of Covid but we want to get it right.

"If we do take on a new operating partner then there might be some tweaks and changes to make – not major ones I wouldn’t have thought – but enough for it not to be worth continuing with interior work because we might then have to undo some of it again.

"We want the Pier open as a successful venue, not just for us but for Wigan. This is a beacon.”

A spokesperson for the Old Courts said: “We're no longer working with the developers, Step Places, on Wigan Pier but we wish them well and look forward to seeing the spaces open to the public.

"We will continue to have a good relationship with them and will be using Pier 4 for a project in September."

And James Winterbottom, director of strategy and innovation at Wigan Council, said: “We remain committed to delivering the Wigan Pier development, which will see this important and iconic part of our local heritage reimagined for future generations to enjoy.

“It’s positive news that Step Places are moving forward with the project, and we look forward to seeing so much of the hard work happening behind the scenes coming together. There will be some ‘pop up’ events happening over the coming weeks for the public to enjoy.”

Meanwhile, just a stone’s throw away working is continuing apace on the even more ambitious restoration of the vast Eckersley Mills project.

The upper floors of Mill One there are being converted into offices, creating a top floor extension which will be a shared work space including a bar and outside terrace area, while the ground floor will become a 22,000ft aq food hall a la Mackie Mayor in Manchester or Altrincham Market, complete with a micro-brewery.

When full, the place will employ around 400 people.

In June Mill Three was given permission to be turned into one, two and three-bed flats with the addition of penthouse style apartments with private terracing on the rooftop extension.

More applications for the remainder of the site are also in the pipeline.