Wigan Galleries Development News! Town centre updates, Wigan college, Civic Centre, Omniplex Cinema!

I just read the new report from Wigan Council on the town centre development of the Wigan Galleries site! Watch this new video to see what's happening. Why has no building work yet started?
Also - Town centre updates along with Eckersley Mill, Wigan college building and demolition site, Civic Centre news updates! I take a look at the new Wigan Omniplex Cinema just recently opened!
Wigan, an English town west of Manchester, is known for its love of pies and its residents, the Wiganers, are often called "pie eaters". The nickname is said to have originated during the 1926 General Strike, when Wigan miners were forced to return to work before other miners in the area and were forced to eat "humble pie". Wiganers are proud of the nickname, and pies are considered a delicacy in the region. Wigan even hosts the World Pie Eating Championship every year
#wigan #pieeaters #wiganpier #wigancasino #piechallenge #wiganrugby #lancashire #townwalk #england #foodcourt #uk #wigandevelopments #britain
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[@hwallen9316]

I missed this one first time around. Enjoyed hearing about the Wigan College developments. The old Wigan & District Technical & Mining College has a special place in my heart and soul. I did badly at school and left to work in Booths in Chorley but was not happy. I went to Wigan Tech and did Maths A Level at evening classes after work. That got me into an Engineering Degree, I am now happily retired in Australia having spent 40 years teaching Engineering here. Wigan Tech...a magical place where just ordinary working class kids can achieve their dreams. So pleased that the place is still going and helping future generations.

[@andrewemmerson]

Glad you enjoyed the video, yes good to see the college expanding!

[@issachunt3418]

Welcome to the Central African Republic of Wigan

[@andrewemmerson]

Very dry 😂

[@leonskum.5682]

Same in Leigh.

[@Wolf_Fleuret]

Nicely xenophobic, really doing the town a service. Dolt.

[@SeanMurraylfc26]

Will look great when it's done. An absolute dive last time I was there. 😢❤

[@andrewemmerson]

Fingers crossed!

[@stuartparker7031]

😊looks like it's on stop

[@andrewemmerson]

It does 😪

[@raddragonfire8337]

Will be full of Turkish barbers, takeaways, and mobile phone repair shops

[@andrewemmerson]

Don’t forget vape shops.

[@bartrandsnappy]

What an absolute mess. What have the council done. They still get voted in every time though and there’s the problem!

[@andrewemmerson]

Let’s vote em out!

[@bozzface1]

Exactly this they sat in silk pj's knowing they are bleeding us dry

[@boba2783]

Private equity you bell,end

[@flatbrokefrank6482]

That's the new market hall the old one was demolished in 1987 as you alluded to!

[@andrewemmerson]

Quite right 👍

[@sensemaya1]

There is an old video circulating on youtube with the stallholders being interviewed. Barry Arrowsmith is on there and he moved opposite Primark and opened a health shop with his chiropody business at the back. I was very shocked to hear he died.

[@anthonymurray972]

The labour council have absolutely ruined wigan Town centre

[@andrewemmerson]

Many would agree with you!

[@uk-martin4905]

...as they do everywhere. Tories are little better. We HAVE to move away from the 2-party system.

[@gwinniboots]

@@anthonymurray972 I agree. Politicians are not our friends.

[@missmuffet3874]

@@uk-martin4905I agree but most likely it never happen in any of our lifetimes.

[@bozzface1]

Labour out!!! Ask yourselves what have they ever done for the ppl of wigan.

[@gwinniboots]

I think much public money has been misspent over the years, replacing good buildings with new ones that were not resident friendly. All about profit and newness rather than community benefit.

[@andrewemmerson]

I would agree, shame to loose some of those old buildings 😪

[@pauline6005]

The Brick Stadium is Wigan Atlantic. And Rugby

[@andrewemmerson]

👍

[@stephenharding1787]

I loved Wigan ! They have destroyed it ! No point going ! It’s taken far too long - good to see they are working hard ! Progress!!! Wigan council should be held responsible for this destruction! There will be no market left by the time they build a new one !

[@andrewemmerson]

I hope you’re wrong about no market left, but I fear you might be right! 😪

[@theMinecraftMysteries]

The Cinema did not look like that when I used to work there in 1996 !

[@andrewemmerson]

😂 I think it was Virgin Cinemas back then?

[@christinedunphy318]

I think its all appalling, and this council should be taken to task over this.

[@verabolton5081]

I agree. There is a problem now with the amount of traffic. Wigan is an old Roman town more people more traffic. The council town planners have no idea!

[@andrewemmerson]

@@christinedunphy318 it’s a bit too long a process to say the least!

[@andrewemmerson]

@@verabolton5081 traffic in Wigan has always been a problem with the one way system, now we have less roads open.

[@vandazler67]

Doesn’t seem that long ago I slated the whole lot of it, including the tower. Took us twelve months!

[@andrewemmerson]

Did a good job 👍

[@gwinniboots]

The Grammar School cricket ground was stolen by the council and incorporated into the youth development. The cricket ground was a lovely green area that was enjoyable for shoppers in town. Obviously couldn’t be left. 🙁 Progress is only true progress if it improves things for the people of the town. Who will all this benefit from? 🤔🧐

[@andrewemmerson]

I don’t remember a school cricket ground there 🤔 yes your right there’s no need for progress for progress sake!

[@BuntyDave]

The youth zone is really good for the area, get real.

[@Giggirl]

They announced a few days ago it’s full speed ahead with the rebuilding any day now, can’t wait for 400+ flats & no shops. Just what a town centre needs 🙄

[@andrewemmerson]

hopefully not! 😁

[@damonk3674]

I left Wigan in 1990 and returned in 2021 And I couldn't believe what the hell had happened to Wigan. Well done to the Labour council and Lisa nandy who have no idea what they are doing. All the character has gone from Wigan and whatever is built in the town centre I guarantee It will only attract more and more idiots to ruin Wigan even more.

[@andrewemmerson]

It will get better once it’s rebuilt 🫣

[@nezkeys79]

I feel like its been like this for so long 😅

[@andrewemmerson]

😢yeah

[@sensemaya1]

Andrew-a question for you. Do you remember the row of shops opposite where the old Argos shop was situated? If I remember rightly there was a shop that sold Tarot cards et al and it was next to a chiropody shop? I know these shops were demolished. Been bugging me for years. Thank you.

[@andrewemmerson]

Do you mean the old Argos shop in the Galleries, or before then?

[@sensemaya1]

@ Before then.

[@andrewemmerson]

@@sensemaya1 trying to remember where the Argos was before then,

[@andrewemmerson]

wasn't it at the bottom of Standishgate?

[@sensemaya1]

@ Yes. Those shops were demolished I believe.

[@pauljones8135]

Nothing been done for month believe they ran out of money .other mess up with wigan council and they knock the old market down

[@andrewemmerson]

Yeah it’s a mess 😪

[@johnbatch9276]

The wigan public had no say in this desecration and when and if it gets finished it will never replace the old galleries

[@andrewemmerson]

There was nothing wrong with the galleries apart from lack of shops 😪

[@Jamie---]

Absolute disgrace what the council has done to town

[@andrewemmerson]

It’s bad right now, let’s see what happens next 😬

[@boba2783]

It’s private equity you bell end

[@eddiejones.redvees]

Someone one just making big profits I don’t shop in Wigan even though I live just up the road there are very few places to park with out being ripped off and the traffic is to bad also

[@andrewemmerson]

Park in swinley or next to little theatre for free

[@jam-nc8ut]

I always try to defend my town, and I have no interest in blaming the current state of things purely on local government when the national government has made things so difficult for so long, but whoever signed off on bulldozing the heart of the town centre without a temporary solution, has a lot to answer for. The market stalls could have been given the space on Standishgate that the International Market used to get. It would have given the feel of a much smaller, but more vibrant town centre. I really hope the work progresses quickly now, because the desolation in the town centre has had an effect on the feel of the whole town. We really need some kind of a boost.

[@andrewemmerson]

We really do need some kind of boost, waiting for this market is going to be a long time coming! Have you seen the old Victorian photos of Wigan open air market? Why don't we have something like that kind of space for a large market? After all Wigan is a market town, I think it needs more than just a few stalls!

[@robstrak7]

Don't move the cam like a a waterhose, makes me feel dizzy ... 🙂 Just trying to be helpful ...

[@andrewemmerson]

Thanks, I did see it was a bit much at one point 😆

[@nezkeys79]

Is the pick n mix 5 sweets for £5 😅

[@andrewemmerson]

Almost 😂

[@watcherzero5256]

Whats slowed the Galleries redevelopment this summer was they found asbestos cladding on the pipes in the basement which had to be removed, they completed the demolition and levelling early in the year but the builders environmental paperwork (dust mitigation, site roads, etc) were submitted for approval in Aug/Sep so should start accelerating again now. Also the great news was Hilton had signed on as the hotel operator.

[@andrewemmerson]

Thank you for the insider information, very interesting to know the reason!

[@keithjones9054]

Who needs a premium hotel in the town centre?

[@andrewemmerson]

@@keithjones9054 Wigan needs a decent hotel tbh

[@keithjones9054]

@@andrewemmerson What is there to come for?

[@andrewemmerson]

@@keithjones9054 rugby and pies

[@paulpilkington1797]

Wigan has been, is and will always be run down. Like many NW town centres, shop businesses are not viable. Even the once fashionable Southport is a sea of pound shops charity shops and empty units. Why on Earth they want to rebuild a market when the current ome is empty. How about building a decent quality structure in the first place? People need better paid jobs and better housing

[@andrewemmerson]

Wigan has not always been run down, it was a thriving market town in the 1980s and earlier. There’s no good reason why a town of 300k people needs to be run down. Look at places such as Lincoln or Shrewsbury or York all thriving, it shows that the council need to create the right conditions for businesses to do well and for people to come eg good market good food places and an overall good experience. Southport is mixed picture right now and also needs something of a revival to prosper, however the businesses that are opening up in the town are more high end places such as Chloe’s bar and occulo lounge, so it’s changing, don’t give up on our small towns!

[@andrewemmerson]

@Daviddeath84 yes a real market please Wigan C.

[@williambailey1712]

Leave it open,put the cobbles back like it used to be.

[@andrewemmerson]

Love that idea, I would vote for that if I had the chance!

[@philm3509]

Wigan council will gladly spend all the money on Wigan town but not the outer settlements. We pay our taxes and get sod all. Don’t even have a train station anymore ffs!

[@andrewemmerson]

Where abouts are you?

[@philm3509]

@@andrewemmerson Near Leigh.

[@andrewemmerson]

@@philm3509 The infrastructure around and outside of Wigan is pretty poor.

[@philm3509]

@@andrewemmerson Yes resulting in the lack of investment and having poor road network and no train station compounds it. Wigan keeps all the money for itself to try and get out of the quagmire main government put us all in.

[@anyoldorion]

@@andrewemmerson Pop to St Helens~ you’ll feel slightly better about Wigan afterwards 😊

[@chriscollins7222]

If this labour council was a business no one would deal with them they would go bust , they have a monopoly on us & our brass so they keep going . How do they expect someone who has never run a business to run a council … clueless !

[@andrewemmerson]

Good point! I didn’t know if any have run a business but the town certainly looks bad right now!

[@Wiganpilot]

The Grand Arcade was a mistake, and pulling this down is an even bigger mistake.

[@andrewemmerson]

I would agree, should have left it alone and restored the buildings

[@REPLICANT84]

It was not a dive before this enforced middle class leftie (development). Wigan ten years ago looked better and different than most other north west towns with its Tudor buildings etc and I should know because I moved here from Salford which is a total dump. Then the council whom non if live on the estates or Scholes etc decided the lower white working class English needed a middle class diverse town full of artisan bakeries and rock lamp selling market stalls. The council ruined wigan not the torys and any wiganers still voting for labour should be ashamed. Where is Lisa Nandy in all this? Wigan market has been destroyed the town centre is destroyed blame wigan council vote them out in the next elections.

[@andrewemmerson]

True, it was not a dive 10 years ago, however Wigan’s problems began with the building of the grand arcade, this inevitably led to a lack of shops in the galleries, it didn’t grow the town, it just moved a lot of shops to a different location. Wigan is a market town and will only thrive with a proper market and enough market stalls. The galleries market was not bad, but it lacked outside stalls and a proper market space like it had before.

[@REPLICANT84]

@@andrewemmerson I agree te galleries were nice and just needed an update inside. The grand arcade is a white elephant and sucked te life out of the heart of the town. But so did Robin park. All these bad decisions are on wigan councils and Lisa nandys heads. They will only listen when reform oust them.

[@andrewemmerson]

@@REPLICANT84 when the grand arcade was built we lost the Ritz cinema and the site of Wigan Casino (which should have been rebuilt) to gain an arcade just like any other town. You’re right reform are coming to wipe out the old parties. I hope reform councils will be made of people who better understand these issues and have the ability to put things on the right path. 👍

[@REPLICANT84]

@andrewemmerson Of course the casino should have been rebuilt and the Ritz. I don't think wigan council understands that being different attracts shoppers it wigan was different it had old worldy charm. The council should have built on that charm adding mock Tudor buildings etc and adding to the Victorian look of makinson arcade etc. Instead they have chosen to make wigan an identikit town based on the dreams of middle class developer's. They don't understand wigan neither do the council it seems.

[@andrewemmerson]

@ totally agree with those points as I’m sure do most people from Wigan. I’m not completely against Robin Park, but the problem is, it’s not really walkable or connected to the town centre, so again takes business away from the town.

[@6lr6ak6]

Was nothing at all wrong with the Galleries it was only finished in 92, fair enough demolishing the old Market place, but not the Galleries they've made a Hugh boo boo.

[@andrewemmerson]

I know right what a mess 😢

[@Jamie---]

Profit disguised as progress.

[@andrewemmerson]

Looks like that 🫣

[@richardcotton8435]

Nandy to blame for the utter destruction of a once great town RIP

[@andrewemmerson]

You can’t destroy Wigan it they are trying their hardest

[@therespectedlex9794]

​@@andrewemmersonMet more b*satrds there recently. Used to think it was mild.

[@joinerjimbob]

Long long before nandy .....

[@therespectedlex9794]

@joinerjimbob She was an opposition MP since 2010.

[@boba2783]

Private equity you bell end

[@Kirstycolourandsketch]

I avoid Wigan at all costs 😂 so crap, they need get a riddle on 🤪

[@andrewemmerson]

They do need to move quickly yes 🙏

[@davec1768]

What's the point of all these flats when there's no where to park a car and the public transport can only be described as crap, at best. They'll all end up as social housing which nobody will want to live in.

[@andrewemmerson]

I think it will be primarily student accommodation in the move towards a university, students don’t need cars

[@davec1768]

@@andrewemmerson If Wigan Technical College does start offering degree courses, it'll be another white elephant university which offers useless unaccredited degrees not worth the paper they are printed on.

[@user-sc4jy2hk5e]

Get the Roads GRIDLOCKED SORTED..YOU HAVE MONEY TO DESTROY EVERYTHING AND ITS EVIDENT WITH THE ROADS....DISGUSTING AINT THE WORD..

[@andrewemmerson]

Roads should definitely be a priority, worst traffic is through pemberton into Wigan

[@davec1768]

​​@@andrewemmersonIt's great if you are one of the 100 cyclist who use the cycle routes in Wigan, and it only cost £20 million. Value for money or what.

[@davec1768]

The schemes showing the new accommodation looks like 70s Eastern block flats in my opinion. What more can you expect from a communistic government.

[@andrewemmerson]

@@davec1768 same in Southport those cycle lanes are completely empty brought in in 2021 what an absolute joke

[@Lisa-yc3vg]

What’s happening in Wigan? I can answer that, Nothing

[@andrewemmerson]

😂😂😂 not a great deal

[@neilthornley3910]

Chinese construction firm went bust after a series of blunders and making a massive mess. New contractor instructed soon. Council love wasting our money. Back handers everywhere.

[@PaulaFoster-g7y]

“CHINESE CONSTRUCTION FIRM” - you couldn’t make it up!

[@andrewemmerson]

Got a point there!

[@Teddy.67pd]

Nandy enjoy it whilst it last , Reform are coming

[@andrewemmerson]

Indeed!!!

[@user-sc4jy2hk5e]

Our elders would break down to what has happend ..destroyed...I hate you fir destroying my future families heritage and home....

[@andrewemmerson]

It’s definitely a lot worse than it was but I do think it’s not irredeemable

[@kirstynolan901]

Hi Andrew can I just ask are you from Wigan if you if you have to leave the ground to settle after knocking buildings down I’m from Wigan born and bread so don’t be coming to Wigan from another town and saying oh it was knocked down a year ago but I’ve not started building yet

[@andrewemmerson]

Yes mate I am from Wigan!

[@rupertbear6883]

so the chinese backers pulled out. oops

[@andrewemmerson]

😆

[@nezkeys79]

Triad? Lol

[@andrewemmerson]

😂

[@debram2364]

Nothing Nandy says is worth listening to since she was asked in a press conference, whether if a man convicted of rape becomes a transwoman, should "she"(term used very loosely) be put in a female prison? and Nandy replied "Yes she should", that women's a total moron.

[@andrewemmerson]

Agreed