Glenbrook wins £100m Wigan industrial appeal
The Planning Inspectorate sided with the developer, dismissing concerns over traffic congestion and Green Belt status to grant outline permission for the 625,000 sq ft Meridian 6 employment park off Bolton Road.
Meridian 6 has a gross development value of £100m, according to developer Glenbrook, updated from the £70m figure reported during the planning process. Set on 40 acres of land, including some in Green Belt, the industrial development was to comprise 12 units designed by Aew Architects. Meridian 6 is to be built southeast of Lancashire Industrial Estate in Ashton-in-Makerfield, on land that is allocated for employment in Wigan’s unitary development plan.
“We are thrilled to receive the positive appeal decision from The Planning Inspectorate,” said Glenbrook development manager Dan Symonds.
“Wigan has a clear pressing need for employment space, and delivery of this long-standing allocated site will go some way in satisfying that demand,” he continued.
Wigan Council rejected Glenbrook’s application last April after receiving more than 430 letters of objection. Community campaign group Keep Ashton Green had helped lead the opposition to the scheme and was one of the interested parties at the inquiry.
A negative impact on the local highway network, in particular traffic congestion, was cited as the reason for refusal. However, planning inspector John Longmuir, said he found the suggested worst-case scenario delay of 2 minutes and 22 seconds at peak travel times to not be significant, describing it instead as a “nuisance and annoyance”.
Keep Ashton Green had also raised the issue of pedestrian safety, which Longmuir similarly dismissed, saying there was no demonstrable evidence that the scheme would negatively impact pedestrian crossings.
Despite it not being a reason for refusal, Longmuir did also look at the impact the project would have on the Green Belt. He did acknowledge that it would harm the Green Belt, but ultimately decided that the project’s benefits outweighed this harm. He described the project as “important for the economic prosperity of the area” and noted that it would support the community by creating jobs close by and therefore reducing reliance on cars.
Regarding the inspector’s decision, Wigan Council assistant director of planning and regeneration David Proctor said: “We are grateful to the inspector for their careful consideration of this appeal, including the concerns that had been raised by local residents. We will be engaging with Glenbrook in the near future as regards next steps.”
Gerald Eve is the planning consultant for Meridian 6. SGi is the civil and structural engineer.
Meridian 6’s planning application reference number with Wigan Council is A/21/92036/OUTMAJ. The appeal’s reference number with the Planning Inspectorate is APP/V4250/W/22/3307710.
