'We can’t have homes with no roads' - Fears over plan to build 2,000 new homes in Greater Manchester town

Hundreds of people turned out to scrutinise plans for 2,000 houses in the south Hindley area of Wigan, with many delivering a strong message: "There can be no homes without roads." They were attending two public consultation meetings in Hindley and Hindley Green organised on behalf of applicants Wigan council and Peel by real estate firm Avison Young.

A 'refreshed' application for the scheme will be submitted in early February, updating an initial plan which was tabled in 2018, with a decision expected in autumn 2025. The scheme is for a ‘mixed-use’ along with a new east-west strategic link road with four access points onto the new state between Liverpool Road and Leigh Road.

It includes a new local centre incorporating a new primary school and flexible provision for new shops, a healthcare centre and other community facilities. People who the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to - as well as local councillors James Palmer, John Vickers and Paul Blay - are adamant there needs to be a major by-pass through Hindley to alleviate traffic passing between Wigan and Bolton before houses are built.

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Asquith Road resident Brian Neary, 65, was one of a total of 500 people who turned up to the two presentations. Speaking from one of the venues, St John’s Church on Atherton Road, Hindley Green, he said: “The amount of houses doesn’t bother me. I know people need somewhere to live.

"The problem is whether we’ve got the infrastructure. The road through the estate that will link Liverpool Road and Leigh Road will add to the traffic that’s already there. And those roads are choc-full even now, and that’s before 2,000 houses with the potential of another