An overhaul of Wigan’s former civic centre into new workspace, designed by shedkm for Capital&Centric, has been given the go ahead by Wigan Council.
The detailed planning application for Civic has sustainability at its roots, targeting BREEAM excellent.
As a re-use of an existing 1970s building, improvements to the fabric will include high performance windows, natural ventilation, high levels of daylight, heating provided by Air Source Heat Pump and improvements to the landscape.
Work started last November to strip out the unusable fittings, as well as carefully remove fixtures with no architectural merit, from plasterboard and flooring tiles to light fittings. With planning now granted, the main works will soon get underway, with the first Civic workspaces expected to be available as early as spring 2025.
Alongside the new office spaces, Civic will contain a gym and mini cinema, cycle storage and a roof terrace. Exposed concrete inside will be framed by lush new plants and trees. There’ll also be spaces for the public to enjoy, including a new coffee shop complete with a spill-out terrace, as well as outdoor seating spots along Millgate.
Claire Yates, Lead Architect at shedkm, said: “We’re excited to bring our expertise in regeneration projects across the UK to Wigan. With Civic we’re bringing the existing Wigan Civic Centre back to life, exposing its concrete features and re-using the former offices for contemporary workspaces, while improving and creating green spaces and accessibility.”
Councillor David Molyneux MBE, Leader of Wigan Council, said: “This is a really exciting step forward for this project, set to create high quality business space alongside fantastic facilities, in our town centre. This sustainable redevelopment is just one of a number of exciting projects taking place across our town centre, including Wigan Pier, Eckersley Mills and of course the former Galleries, all supporting the regeneration of Wigan as a place where people choose to live, work, visit and invest.”