Plan for 2,000 homes in Wigan

Wigan council and land and property giant Peel are poised to submit a new planning application for a 2,000-home development on land at South Hindley. However, local councillors and residents are already arguing that there can be ‘no homes without a road’ - alluding to the long-awaited by-pass linking Wigan with its neighbouring town, Bolton.

An outline planning application was submitted in 2018 for a residential-led ‘mixed-use’ scheme along with a new east-west strategic link road with three access points on Liverpool road, Park Road and Leigh Road. This would have been accompanied by 30 acres of employment development, new open space and sports pitches, play facilities, parking and internal roads .

But the plan was held in abeyance by the council as ‘significant improvements’ to the plan were deemed to be needed. Now, real estate firm Avis Young have been instructed by Wigan council to prepare a new planning application for the land which was identified for development in Greater Manchester’s strategic plan for the next two decades - Places for Everyone (PfE) - approved in March.

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The new plan includes the provision of a new local centre incorporating a new primary school and flexible provision for new shops, a healthcare centre and other community facilities. High on the list of priorities are to ‘create a high quality, sustainable community’; provision of new family homes; opportunities for employment; the creation of a place for people to work, live and play; a new strategic highway to link with the surrounding areas and the wider region and improved biodiversity and green space.

Public consultation on the plan has already begun with