Harworth presses ahead with next phase of West of Wingates

With approval secured and £17m of Good Growth Fund cash committed for the first phase of the Bolton industrial scheme, the developer is readying plans for another 215,000 sq ft of sheds.

Harworth, which was recently the subject of an unsolicited bid from Peel Group, is working up plans for a 15-acre chunk of West of Wingates at the junction of Dicconson Lane and Chorley Road, which sits west of the phase one site.

An EIA scoping request has been sent to Bolton Council that sets out the general shape of phase two. The project would feature up to 215,000 sq ft of units that would top out at 20 metres, according to planning documents.

Harworth is expected to submit a hybrid application for the scheme, which seeks full permission for the creation of development platforms and outline consent for the buildings.

Johnson Mowatt Planning and Development Consultants and Harris Partnership are advising Harworth. To learn more, search for reference number 01523/26 on Bolton Council’s planning portal.

Phase one of West of Wingates could see the delivery of more than 800,000 sq ft of employment space across 80 acres.

Earlier this year, Bolton Council adopted a strategic planning document for the whole development, which proposes around 4.75m sq ft of industrial units across more than 400 acres.

As a large-scale employment site, West of Wingates holds an important position within both the aspirations for Northfold – Bolton’s partnership with Wigan, working with GMCA and Peel Land – and the wider GM Places for Everyone joint development plan.

The site lies on the western edge of Westhoughton and is allocated for industrial and warehousing development under Places for Everyone, which was adopted in March 2024.