Plans for historic Wigan Pier submitted

Step Places has submitted its plans to transform the historic Wigan Pier to Wigan Council.

If passed, the development will see Step Places, The Old Courts, Wigan Council and the Canal and River Trust work together to transform the currently disused 18th-century industrial buildings into a vibrant cultural destination for both locals and visitors.

A new gin distillery and microbrewery will be created on the site of the old museum along with a food hall, with spaces for café, bar & deli retailers, with decorative glass features and a large space for seating on the ground and mezzanine floors.

The former Orwell public house will become a waterside events venue hosting weddings, exhibitions, conferences and the former education centre will be brought back to offer cultural workshops and classes that improve community cohesion.

The development will also include new housing creating attractive living spaces, with townhouses featuring canal facing gardens and parking.

Wigan Pier was originally a coal loading jetty where wagons would unload coal on to canal barges.

The Pier became famous through a music hall joke by George Formby Snr and through its appearance in the title of George Orwell’s graphic description of the plight of the English working class in the early 20th century ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’.

Becca Heron, director of economy and skills at Wigan Council said: ‘This planning submission is a significant step forward in realising our collaborative plans for the Pier.

‘The range of uses Step Places have outlined is exciting and the proposals are wholly in line with our recently released Strategic Regeneration Framework, which is a blueprint for the future of our town centre.

‘We’re working hard to develop a new offer that will attract visitors that includes culture, leisure, employment and residential uses.

‘We understand the importance Wigan Pier has to local people and it has been a long-term ambition to make the most of these buildings and transform them into a multi-use experiential destination.

Photo credit – Step Places