£125m redevelopment of Wigan shopping centre will take 'at least seven years', council boss warns
A £125m redevelopment of The Galleries will take at least seven years, a Wigan Council boss has revealed.The council purchased the 3.2-hectare site, which includes the Makinson Arcade and Marketgate Shopping Centre, in 2018 for £8m.The council wants to reverse the decline of the shopping centre, which accounts for almost a quarter of Wigan town centre's footprint, with plans for residential, leisure, food and drink uses, office space and a new market.A formal procurement process is now underway and the council is expecting to select a development partner to deliver its £125m vision later this year.But Becca Heron, Director of Economy and Skills, told a scrutiny committee on Wednesday that it would take many years for this vision to become a