Wigan Council officer hails ambitious plans for shopping centre

The project includes major demolition work and would make the centre of Wigan look very different to how it does now.

The recently-unveiled plans include a multi-media centre with a six-screen cinema, indoor golf, a music and e-sports venue, a 10-lane bowling alley and places to eat and drink as well as a hotel, 464 apartments and townhouses, an evening entertainment facility, a large landscaped area for outdoor public event and a new market hall.

The sheer scale of the £130m proposal has undoubtedly raised eyebrows, but Ms Heron said tinkering with The Galleries was never on the agenda.

Ms Heron said she was pleased the plans were being unveiled at the end of a year in which coronavirus has ravaged the economy but said the pandemic also provided further evidence that urban areas need to change.

She said: “We bought The Galleries for redevelopment purposes. It was never our intention to manage it as a retail asset. There’s far too much retail space in Wigan town centre and Covid, if anything, has accelerated that.

“Doing nothing was never an option.

“The Galleries presented a really great opportunity for us to invest in the town centre and put it on a more sustainable footing.

“This feels like a big step forward for us and after the year we’ve had this is really positive news.”

The council says it is looking to make the centre of Wigan a more attractive place to live, work and visit as well as drawing more footfall in.

At the moment The Galleries is mainly made up of shops, although the upper floor does also contains the galleries and exhibition and cultural spaces of The Fire Within HQ.

Ms Heron said: “We want to give people reasons to come into the town centre. Currently the offer post-5pm is quite limited and the cultural sector, although it has been hit hard by the pandemic, is a key component and still growing in Wigan.

“There will also be a significant number of housing units which will be a mixture: with some tenanted, some owned and some affordable.

“We’re trying to develop a town centre neighbourhood with a mixed demographic.

“Our proposal is also to open The Galleries up. It’s quite hard to find your way around, it’s a bit of a warren. Woodcock Square will be at the heart of the development.”

The timetable currently is for a planning application to go in next spring, with the council hoping building work starts in 2022 and the project is completed by 2025.

Before that, though, some of those most affected by the massive shake-up will be approached by the council to discuss what the future holds for them.

Ms Heron said: “I recognise this is a large-scale project which will cause further uncertainty in the run-up to Christmas. We will be engaging with specific groups affected such as retailers and traders.”

It is now two years since the council stepped in to buy The Galleries and since then there has been much speculation about the eventual outcome of the town hall’s intervention.

The council said its partners, Cityheart and Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI), have been chosen for their track record in finishing large projects as well as the latter’s building expertise.

The local authority is well aware of the high stakes of the project and how disastrous a large partly-completed building site right in the middle of Wigan would be.

Ms Heron said the scheme would be funded through a mixture of public and private investment and said other funding sources will also be sought.

Cityheart has been involved in redeveloping Stockport’s interchange as well as building student accommodation, while BCEGI is involved with plans to redevelop parts of Bolton town centre as well as at Manchester Airport.

The redevelopment is expected to create around 475 construction jobs and a further 190 when the scheme opens.

The partnership has also pledged to support local people through recruiting in the borough, taking on 25 apprentices each year, providing work experience and education visits and supporting the local supply chain through spending around £52m. Around 864 volunteer hours will also be donated to the voluntary sector.

Ms Heron said she is also keen to see plenty of Wigan businesses in the finished scheme.

She said: “We’re not looking for an identikit town full of national chains.

“We want to provide opportunities for people to take their business ideas and grow them in the town, whether that’s in retail, business or restaurants.”

To find out more or submit questions or feedback visit www.galleries25.com

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here and viewing our offers ..