£5m investment in Leigh town centre on track

Improvement works which are part of a massive £5m investment in the Wigan satellite town of Leigh are half-way through and on track.

Wigan Council is investing £1m in the improvements to Bradshawgate and Albion Street.

A further £4m is to be invested in Leigh in activities for young people, further town centre regeneration and improvements to Pennington Flash Country Park as part of the ‘Believe in Leigh’ fund.

The on-going town centre improvements will see high-quality block paving, new modern seating, LED lighting and tree planters create a more attractive space for shoppers, visitors and businesses.

The 20-week programme is more than half-way through and on track. The block paving is now being laid by the council’s construction partner idverde UK.

The programme is being carried out in phases, the council says, to make sure that disruption is kept to a minimum and access for local businesses is being maintained during normal business hours.

Cllr David Molyneux, Wigan Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “It’s great to see the regeneration of Leigh town centre is now more than half-way through and on schedule.

“We thank all businesses in Bradshawgate and the surrounding streets affected by the construction for their patience.

“The works are being delivered in a way to keep disruption to a minimum and access to businesses has remained open.

“We also thank shoppers and visitors for coping with the reduced pedestrian areas during the works.

“Once the regeneration is complete both businesses and shoppers will benefit from a much-improved environment which will increase the attractiveness of the town centre as a destination for shopping and leisure.

“This is one of the most high profile parts of Leigh and we want all of the borough’s major town centres to offer a high quality public realm environment.”

As part of the development the outdoor market stalls will relocate to a central location on Bradshawgate with increased visibility and improved access to the stalls.

This will give an improved profile to the outdoor market and create a better approach to the indoor market along Albion Street.

There will be new lighting in the trees which can change colour remotely to reflect events or seasons.

Michael Coyne, project manager for contractor idverde UK, said: “We are pleased with how the programme is going and appreciate the patience of local businesses and shoppers during the disruption.

“We will be installing the street furniture and trees in the coming weeks so people will really start to see the improvements take shape.”

The programme is being completed in phases and is currently in its second phase of paving work and installation of benches and trees on Bradshawgate between Bold Street and Silk Street.

The final phase of paving is between Albion Street and Gas Street.