Groundbreaking finally takes place at £135m Wigan Galleries redevelopment

Developers and the council have finally broken ground at the £135m Galleries shopping centre redevelopment scheme in the heart of Wigan town centre.
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Appointed contractor, BCEGI has begun work on site, starting with the demolition of the carpark bridge.

Work had been earmarked to begin at the beginning of the year but there have been reassurance since that Galleries25 project remains on schedule to be completed in three years’ time.

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A hotel, 464 homes and a multimedia centre with a cinema, 10-lane bowling alley and indoor mini-golf are planned as part of the project – a joint venture partnership between the local authority and developers Cityheart and BCEGI UK.

Council and development chiefs at the GalleriesCouncil and development chiefs at the Galleries
Council and development chiefs at the Galleries
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Picture special: Pemberton Christmas market

A new market hall, shops and office space have also been approved. Traders will stay in their current location until the new market is completed.

The demolition work is due to take 18 months in total, however, during this time once areas of the site have been demolished, new development phases will commence. The first of these phases is the New Market Hall, which is due to be delivered by 2024.

Over and above BCEGI’s demolition contract, BCEGI has committed to supporting further Social Value objectives with Cityheart and Wigan Council, and its initial statement to help boost the local economy through apprenticeships and job creation.

Left to right: Coun David Molyneux, Warren Taylor and Wigan Council chief executive Alison McKenzie-FolanLeft to right: Coun David Molyneux, Warren Taylor and Wigan Council chief executive Alison McKenzie-Folan
Left to right: Coun David Molyneux, Warren Taylor and Wigan Council chief executive Alison McKenzie-Folan
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Currently 49 per cent of the on-site staff have been recruited from within a 20-mile radius of the scheme and BCEGI is working with a number of local suppliers including contractors and waste removals during this period.

Planning for the redevelopment of the Galleries shopping centre was granted in November last year and backers say it will provide a much-needed vibrant new retail, leisure, commercial destination in the heart of Wigan town centre.

Council leader David Molyneux MBE said: "This an exciting milestone for the Galleries redevelopment and the first of many to come. The redevelopment aims to create as little disruption as possible to the town centre and we’ve prepared an impressive events programme for the festive season to help support local businesses, with the annual lights switch on and Santa parade upcoming.

"There’ll be lots of activities in Makinson Arcade and the market throughout December, with wreath making workshops, storytelling and craft workshops, gift wrapping services and more."

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Warren Taylor, director of Cityheart, said: "We are fully committed to delivering this important scheme and continue to work alongside the Council and local community to achieve our vision.

"It is exciting to see the first stage of the transformation taking place, together with the new hoardings that have been erected, it really feels like tangible progress is being made, which serves to reiterate our message that exciting improvements and changes are coming."

The latest development finally lays to rest rumours that Beijing-backed developer BCEGI had pulled out of the deal, hence the delays.

Galleries25 hasn’t been universally welcomed with some voicing fears that it will become a white elephant. But most people acknowledge that Wigan town centre, which has lost many retailers in recent years, is in desperate need of reinvigorating with supporters saying that a greater emphasis on hospitality, leisure and accommodation – rather than shops – is the way forward.