Dan Whelan
Following a string of high-profile wins in recent months, including the £170m redevelopment of Wigan Galleries and more recently a £60m residential scheme in Widnes, 2021 is a crucial opportunity for the lesser known developer to put its stamp on town centre regeneration.
“Wigan is very exciting because it puts us on the major mixed-use regeneration stage,” founder Mark McNamee told Place North West in an interview
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Chester-based Cityheart this week confirmed its appointment by Halton Council to redevelop the former Golden Triangle industrial scheme in Widnes into 360 homes, as tipped by
Cityheart was founded by McNamee in 2005. In its infancy, the company focussed on student accommodation schemes, shying away from longer-term projects while it built up its cash reserves.
15 Dec 2020, 10:25
In the second in a series of interviews with the region’s place makers for the Christmas period,
Place North West asks Becca Heron, Wigan Council’s director of economy and skills, about her cool Brazilian hobby and what keeps her up at night.
Why did you choose a career in property?
I didn’t, really. I started my career as a democratic services officer at Hyndburn Council, but then I moved into research and ended up supporting the Housing Market Renewal Programme across Manchester and Salford. That’s how I started to understand place-shaping, and the interventions required to drive change. I spent a long time working for the GMCA [Greater Manchester Combined Authority], which gave me a good understanding of economic drivers. Now I’m loving putting some of that into practice in Wigan to drive real change.