The Ridings Centre

The Ridings Shopping Centre is an indoor shopping centre in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It opened on 17 October 1983. The pioneering centre was a UK first and subsequently served as a template for many shopping centres throughout the UK. Demolition and redevelopment On 5 February 2026, it was announced that the shopping centre would be demolished and replaced with a £17.9 million re-development project called Cathedral Quarter which will include 1,000 homes, green spaces, a cinema, cafes, extensive car parking and the museum and library which will move from the Wakefield One building. As part of the plan, the four tower blocks that sit above the building which are owned by social housing company Vico Homes will also be demolished. The council originally backed out of a deal to buy the centre in 2023, before it was bought by Zahid Iqbal, who has now agreed to sell it for an undisclosed amount. Development will be led by regeneration specialist Muse, which said it plans to build 1,000 new sustainable, affordable and private homes on the site. The project is expected to take 10 years to complete, with no date set for the closure and demolition of the shopping centre but is estimated to be around Autumn 2028. Businesses within the centre have been told the council will help them find alternative premises if they want to stay in Wakefield. Wakefield Councils cabinet met on 17 February 2026 to review plans for the “Cathedral Quarter” project and the council have now agreed to buy the site. The council met up again with the cabinet on 17 March 2026 after a reconsideration with councillors and local people backing out of the demolition but the council and the cabinet have now agreed to give the green light for the demolition to go-ahead. Wakefield Council took ownership of the centre at a cost of £11,050,000 and the first day of ownership was 1 May 2026. Stores and services The Ridings Centre covers an area of 319,000 square feet (29,600 m2) and has an estimated annual footfall of 11 million. The centre contains a number of retailers such as Boots, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Primark as well as a number of independent stores. The centre has three car parks (each assigned a colour) including three multi-storeys and a rooftop car park. A five-screen Reel Cinema opened in the centre in 2019. History The Ridings Centre opened on 17 October 1983. It included construction of a large complex to house the upper and middle malls along with the blue and red car parks. In addition to this, an existing open shopping precinct on Kirkgate originally opened in 1972 was roofed and extensively updated to become the lower mall, and the existing Almhouse Lane multi-storey was adapted to become the green car park. It was the first of its kind in the UK, containing features such as a food court inspired by shopping centres in the United States and its major popularity upon opening meant there were queues even to enter the centre. The centre was extensively refurbished in 2008 at a cost of £2.5 million. The improvements included a redesign of the centre's entrances as well as new lifts (replacing the original glass wall-climber lift that was the first in the UK). The Ridings Centre was purchased in 2015 by NewRiver. This was followed by a £5 million renovation in 2017 which included a new food court (since closed) and space for 'pop-up' shops. The centre was then later sold to Zahid Iqbal in 2023, who planned to refurbish the centre by demolishing the Kirkgate entrance in 2024 but work was paused after it was announced that Wakefield Council wanted to buy the centre after being granted £10.9 million to demolish the full centre and redevelop it into a new project called Cathedral Quarter. Awards The Ridings Centre won the award for 'European Shopping Centre Of The Year' on numerous occasions. In 2018 the centre won the Revo Purple Apple Marketing Awards, obtaining a Golden Apple Award. Transport connections The Ridings Centre is located near Wakefield Westgate and Wakefield Kirkgate railway stations as well as Wakefield Bus Station. The centre is located near the A61 and the M1. Arriva Yorkshire have their headquarters and main depot located in Wakefield, on the A61, next to the Hepworth Gallery. Arriva are the owners and managers of Wakefield Bus Station. References