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.
On 5th February 2026, it was announced that the shopping centre would be demolished and replaced with a £17.9 billion 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 is set to meet on 17 February 2026 to review plans for the “Cathedral Quarter” project and decide on the formal acquisition of the site.
The Ridings Centre covers an area of 319,000 square feet (29,600m2) and has an estimated annual footfall of 11million.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3] 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.[4]
The centre was extensively refurbished in 2008 at a cost of £2.5million. 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).[5]
The Ridings Centre was purchased in 2015 by NewRiver.[6] This was followed by a £5million renovation in 2017 which included a new food court (since closed) and space for 'pop-up' shops.[7]
Awards
The Ridings Centre won the award for 'European Shopping Centre Of The Year' on numerous occasions.[8]
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.
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