Planning permission secured for Curious Minds' at Wigan Pier
30 January 2026
The adaptive re-use of historic Pier 2 building will create a permanent base for nationally significant cultural education charity, supporting Wigan's creative renaissance.
Planning permission has been secured for the adaptive re-use of Pier 2 at Wigan Pier, bringing a cherished local building back into sustainable use after standing vacant for over fifteen years. The project will provide a permanent home for Curious Minds, a nationally significant Wigan-based charity that champions creative learning and cultural education across England.
The transformed building will house three distinct but interconnected spaces: the Chance to See Studio for direct work with children and young people, Curious Works providing collaborative workspace for teaching artists, and the Curious Stories Gallery - a flexible, light-filled space for exhibitions, professional development, and digital collaboration.
Working with We Made That team has been a genuine pleasure. Their deep expertise in creating physical spaces for culture, combined with the care they take to really listen, has shaped a design that reflects our ambitions perfectly. They guided us expertly through the planning process, bringing patience, insight, and reassurance as we navigated capital development for the first time. What they produced goes far beyond a response to a brief. It captures our organisation, our values, and our long-term vision.”
The project builds on Wigan's distinguished history in cultural education. During the 1970s and 1980s, initiatives like the Drumcroon Education Art Centre, the Artists in Wigan Schools Scheme, and Pit Prop Theatre's radical theatre-in-education work set national benchmarks. These programmes embedded creativity into community life, with every student participating weekly in music, drama, and visual arts, fostering collaborations between educators and artists that cultivated generations who valued cultural expression.
Curious Minds' new home continues this tradition of innovation, providing infrastructure for the next chapter of cultural education leadership from Wigan.
The adaptive re-use prioritises environmental sustainability, accessibility, and longevity of use - principles that align with both Curious Minds' values and broader regeneration goals for the Wigan Pier Quarter.
The planning application process demonstrated the power of collaborative working. Our role encompassed architectural design, heritage assessment coordination, and strategic alignment with borough-wide creative sector development. Working alongside heritage consultants Donald Insall Associates, flood risk specialists The LK Group, and project managers MAKE, we ensured the proposals balanced conservation requirements with contemporary accessibility and sustainability needs.
The scheme represents more than building restoration - it creates a foundation for sustainable cultural programming that will benefit communities across the region. By securing the long-term conservation of a heritage asset through active use, the project demonstrates how purpose-driven development can serve both built environment and community needs.
Works begin on site in spring 2026.
