Wigan Market and The Galleries to be demolished for new outlet
It is to be replaced with a hotel, a cinema and a bowling alley
Last updated 4th Nov 2021
The Galleries shopping centre and Wigan Market will be demolished to make way for entertainment venues, apartments, food and drink outlets.
The space is planned to be replaced with a multimedia centre with a cinema, 10-lane bowling alley and indoor mini golf, as well as a hotel and 464 homes as part of the Galleries 25 project.
And a new market hall with stalls, shops and offices has also been proposed.
The joint ÂŁ190m venture partnership between developers Cityheart and BCEGI UK aims to have the site demolished and replaced with new complete construction by 2025.
The application includes a full proposal for four apartment blocks, ranging from four to nine storeys in height and featuring 218 flats between them.
A quarter of the new homes would be 'affordable' – up to a maximum of 120.
The hotel would be four to six storeys in height with a minimum of 140 rooms.
Outline planning permission has also been granted for a multi-screen cinema, multi-purpose event space, bowling alley, indoor mini golf, and food and beverage outlets.
A further four residential blocks with a maximum of 265 units over up to eight storeys also features as part of the outline planning application submitted this week, together with additional commercial floorspace of up to 1,000sqm.
Knockdown the old market to build a new one
The plans for the new market hall in Marketgate have been proposed, which would include traditional market stalls, retail units, small office spaces, as well as a contemporary food hall and 'flexible' public space.
The current market would remain open until the new market hall is built which it is hoped will be one of the first parts of the project to be completed by 2024.
Objection from market traders
Planning permission for the major redevelopment was approved on Tuesday (November 2) after a vote by councillors on the planning committee.
One objector who attended the committee meeting was asked to leave after shouting down from the public gallery: "You've all got blood on your hands".
A furious opposition from market traders has lead to thousands signing a petition which calls for the plans to be halted.
There is already work underway to find an alternative space for the shopping centre, with the search expected to continue into next year.
The shopping centre was purchased by Wigan Council in 2018 for ÂŁ8m, on the promise that they would transform the town centre and reduce retail spaces to help market trends.
Chinese state-owned company BCEGI UK has been awarded the ÂŁ135m contract to complete all of the demolition and construction work by 2025, with the whole project will be worth ÂŁ190m, according to developer Cityheart.
Speaking at the committee meeting today, Cityheart managing director Mark McNamee said: "Wigan is a market town, always has been always will be. That's why we're putting the market at the heart of this proposal."
Demolition work is expected to start on site by the beginning of next year.