Wigan

Been to Wigan today, not been for four months. The plus side, the weather was beautiful, the down side seeing the market hall. You all have seen the decline gradually but what a shock to see what they have done to our market hall that we and generations before us have always loved, it breaks your heart.

Linma,I go to Wigan centre at lleast once a week sometimes twice..the excuse that the authorities say is that due to everyone shopping online is the reason for the town going in decline which is utterly ridiculous,Wigan town centre has always been busy,I read only this morning that the next store for the axe is B&Ms..it is always packed out..I was in there this morning and as usual the queues were down the aisles,there was no need to demolish the shops that they have,people have lost their jobs and livelihood,I was brought up just down the road from Wigan town centre and I could cry at what they've demolished.

linma it's embarrassing and only council to blame in my opinion, there is no fish stall no butcher and a very poorly stocked fruit & veg stall, there are still a couple of meat & poultry stalls who are struggling like all other retailers due to lack of customers, there is nowhere close by to park and pensioners along with disabled people and others have a fair walk from bus station, the temporary car park that council promised outside market on Marsden street entrance has been scrapped, why when all the buildings outside mkt hall on Ince walk and hope street have been demolished, that is where the temporary public parking was going to be, and the council also said there would be a temporary bus terminal on new mkt st for shoppers, but this to has not happened because the basement used for retailers unloading was closed and another unloading bay constructed outside market on new mkt st, and may I add causing more traffic congestion as the traffic lights have been causing concern with not working correctly, oh and not forgetting all the bollards reducing traffic lanes, so that's why there are no shoppers or very few visiting our once packed famous market hall.

I still support the market at least once a week and find it hard how little help the stallholders have got from the council. They are supposed to be building a new market hall, what is the point when the few businesses left will have folded before it opens?

Rio that is the master plan the council will delay building a new market has long as they can so in the end it is not viable to do so and they will not bother There should have been a market in place even a temporary market before they started blocking the market in during demolition of the galleries. There were/are plenty of empty units around Wigan Town Centre to do this.

What was wrong with moving the indoor market into the empty Debenhams?

I completely and utterly agree with all above comments , this council claim they know best for the people of wigan ,but they are liars they do not care what happens only for their own pockets .i too am heartbroken at the wanton destruction of this once proud town , TO quote our motto
"" ANCIENT & LOYAL " it's a motto they could well have adopted ! G.B

Walking up Standishgate on Wednesday I was once again in the 60’s all those shops we loved all now gone. In my minds eye I could still see the lads waiting for their dates outside Woolworths to take them either to the pictures or dancing at The Emp. Anyone got a magic wand?

"TO quote our motto " ANCIENT & LOYAL " it's a motto they could well have adopted !" said GB.

However, it's not "your" motto. It's the council's motto. Made up by them and used by them since.
So they don't need to "adopt" it, do they?

tonker

Its the new crest which we have had since the local government mistake of1974 which does not go down very well with Wiganers.

Progress with Unity

Owd Codger

"What was wrong with moving the indoor market into the empty Debenhams?"

I can think of a few reasons why that would be a daft idea, for a start it is too far away, imagine if they had moved the old Market Hall to the bottom of Station Road, how silly would have that been, but that is where the old Debenhams building is located.

Owd Codger /Tonker .
MY mother bought me a brand new blue blazer in the mid 1960s and i had the coat of arms put on it back then ,it was the "ANCIENT & LOYAL " Badge as was it so on all the jersey's of the great WIGAN R.L.CLUB ! G.B.

Who would want to wear a blazer with the council's crest on the top pocket?

Tommy Two Stoke

Seeing that the Debenhams store was at the end of the busy Centre Arcade, it might not be as bad as the existing one became left isolated in the empty white elephant Galleries.

"The Market Hall" wasn't a real market. It was just a collection of permanent shops owned by the council and leased to tenants.

MEEEEEEEEEEEE TONKER WHY because back in the day i was proud of WIGAN ,G.B.

Proud of Wigan Council, GB?

"What was wrong with moving the indoor market into the empty Debenhams?"

Well Todger.......perhaps the most obvious answer has to be, maybe the owners of the empty Debenhams building dont want the indoor market in their building

...........or do you think the council has total jurisdiction over that building too and can do with it as they see fit?

They do seem to do as they like and they certainly take no notice of what the majority of wiganers want!

Has I have stated Wigan Council had plans in place to demolish the Galleries/Market at least 12 month ago. With the amount of large empty properties in Wigan Town Centre it would not be above the council to try to negotiate with the owners to have a short term let on one of these buildings until the new market is ready. If they went down this route they never told the people of Wigan about any plans but left the stall holders in limbo. I have read that the former Debenhams is to be split into smaller units. This still left a few options for some of the other larger premises which even now are empty.

TONKER /
Please stop from taking the piss , i said """I AM PROUD OF BEING A WIGAN BLOKE AND OF THE TOWN """ NOT THE ROTTEN CORRUPT COUNCIL AS WELL YOU KNOW """"" IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR U ,AS WELL U SHOULD KNOW .........G.B.

GOLDEN BEAR /

Please understand that someone who doesn't like "THE ROTTEN CORRUPT COUNCIL" wouldn't normally be seen wearing THE ROTTEN CORRUPT COUNCIL's crest on his blazer pocket!

Although, 'some people' may not realise that the crest is THE ROTTEN CORRUPT COUNCIL's crest, no more, no less!