The £135million redevelopment plan is set to transform the former shopping centre
It is literally an uphill battle to attract elderly people to Wigan town centre as they face long walks from bus stops and claim there's nothing for them to do. ‘Who wants a cinema, bowling alley or mini golf - old people can’t do that’, one woman said.
Joyce pointed out the irony in the fact that the old Ritz Film Centre cinema was knocked down in 2004 to make way for the Grand Arcade opposite the Galleries site - as that is now being bulldozed for a new complex with a cinema. Fellow retiree Rita added: “It’s what the council wants, what they’re doing now with the Galleries, not the people.
Another retiree, Pat Whitecunas, agreed with Rita and Joyce about the issues the town centre faced - but believed the council had lost the trust of the people after the last redevelopment of the Galleries decades ago. “Look how many big shops there are in the cities - that would bring me in. If they did the market up to what it used to be it would be packed.”
Wigan Council bought the Galleries in 2018 in a bid to halt the decline of the town centre and create a vibrant, attractive and accessible place to live, work and visit. “Only Primark has kids' clothes for example, we need more. I saw the plans for the Galleries redevelopment when they were released. I can’t believe what they've got until it’s there though.
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