Approval nears for Wigan homes

Proposals by Bellway to build 157 homes on agricultural land in Bryn are due to be discussed by Wigan’s planning committee this week with a recommendation to approve.

Bellway plans to build a mix of semi-detached and detached houses on the 19-acre site just off Wigan Road in Bryn, on land which has been designated for residential or employment use under the council’s local plan. It is currently used as agricultural land.

A spine road will link the development with Wigan Road and provide access to the site.

Outline planning permission was granted in November 2015, but Bellway lodged a fresh planning application for the scheme in August this year, as the original planning application did not allow the development to be brought forward on a phased basis.

Planning conditions, including a detailed site remediation scheme for the entire 19 acres, would have to have been satisfied under the previous planning application, which would not have been “practical or viable”, according to the developer.

August’s application is for the first phase of the site, and more homes and development could come forward following its completion.

The application has been recommended for approval by Wigan’s planning officers, who said Bellway’s development would “make an important contribution to the borough’s five-year housing supply, as well as delivering the first stage of the Landgate spine road”.

The application also received 24 objections from local residents, who argued against the loss of green space and said that new homes would lead to increased levels of traffic in the area.

Wigan’s planning committee meets on 5 December. APD is the architect and How is the planner for the scheme.