Application in for canal-side Wigan homes
An outline planning application for up to 470 homes within a waterfront park in West Leigh has been submitted to Wigan Council.
The proposal from the Canal & River Trust and Wigan Council is for a mixed residential development next to the Leigh branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
Plans include a range of apartments and two-bedroom starter homes, to three and four-bedroom family homes. The application also features a cycle-friendly footbridge giving better access from the development to Pennington Flash Country Park, south of the canal, as well as to the wider area including Leigh town centre.
A quarter of the 50-acre site will be retained as open land, including a woodland area separating the site from the Taylor Wimpey Marina development to the west.
An upgraded cycle route and surfaced pathway set within parkland on the northern canal bank will link into the Marina development.
A linear landscaped park will also be created between Mersey Street and Radnor Drive.
Wigan Council and the Canal & River Trust are looking for a developer to bring forward the project.
Cheryl Blount-Powell, Canal & River Trust senior development manager, said: “We held a public consultation event last September and listened to many different views about how the development should look. More than 300 people attended this event and dozens more responded by email or through our website.
“We have listened to the concerns of local residents particularly about access and the loss of open land. As a result, we have carried out further studies and increased public landscaped areas and restricted road access to two main entry points at either side of the development.
“The proposed new footbridge will give enhanced access for residents walking or cycling to the beautiful Pennington Flash Country Park. We are proposing safe places for children to play and new cycle routes and footpaths. The public open spaces will be landscaped, providing an attractive place for local residents wanting to enjoy the waterside scenery, walk their dogs or take a pleasant off-road route into Leigh town centre.”
