the resource for library planning, design & building

Find a library:

Advanced search

Add your library:

Latest news

New Public Service Hub for Wigan County Council

Hot on the heels of the shared use facilities announced for Leeds, work has started on a one-stop shop for all public services in Wigan, including council and housing services, police health and leisure.

The £187m project which will regenerate the heart of Wigan and create scores of new jobs is finally under way.
Wigan Council has agreed a 25-year deal to create the new Wigan Life Centre on and around the site of the former Wigan International Pool.

Services provided by the council and its housing and leisure partners, the police, the NHS, the fire service and community and voluntary groups will be contained in three zones (Healthy Living, Information and Learning and Neighbourhoods) located on either side of the town hall.

The new central library - including separate children's and teenage libraries - have been designed by the same team responsible for Brighton & Hove Central Library, which has already won 17 design awards and will lie at the heart of the Information and Learning Zone.

The 5,169 sq m ‘Information and Learning Zone’ will occupy the north site, replacing the Municipal Buildings whilst preserving the distinctive terracotta façade.

The scheme will use the latest sustainable construction techniques to minimise CO2 emissions and whole-life operational costs. It features a centralised combined heat and power plant to heat the complex which typically achieves a 35 per cent reduction in energy use.

The Wigan Life Centre is being paid for using £77m of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits, for which Wigan had to compete against more than 100 other councils.

The ground-breaking project has been designed and will be built by Access consortium and will feature two iconic landmark buildings.

The whole complex should open for business in January 2011.