Traders in Wigan say the closure of a popular car park is the 'final nail' in the coffin for business owners in the once thriving market town.
The Wigan Council announced the closure of the The Galleries car park in the town centre due to anti-social behaviour from Friday (February 25).
According to local business owners, the move to close the car park has been met with 'anger' as traders face diminishing sales and uncertainty about their future in the wake of the £190m major redevelopment that was greenlit last year. READ MORE: A town torn about its future – and how it could be transformed in 2022 As part of the new redevelopment plans, The Galleries shopping centre, home to Wigan market for the last 30 years, will be demolished to make way for a 150-room hotel, 464 homes and a multimedia centre with a cinema, 10-lane bowling alley and indoor mini golf.
Much of the town centre will be fenced off during construction, however, the market will remain open. Mike O'Connor runs a fashion and shoes stall at the market and says they the impact the car park's closure will have on businesses will be 'devastating'.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk