Wigan pulls land for 5m sq ft of employment space from local plan
The council has opted not to include four Green Belt sites in its refreshed local plan in response to concerns from residents and politicians. The authority has also formally objected to Peel Land’s Gibfield Park masterplan, which could deliver 500 homes and 375,000 sq ft of sheds.
Wigan Council has announced it intends not to allocate four Green Belt sites for release from the Green Belt to be developed into employment units following concerns raised by residents and councillors.
These are:
- Land north of the M6 Junction 26 in Wigan, capable of accommodating around 1.6m sq ft
- Moss Industrial Estate Extension in Leigh, earmarked for 480,000 sq ft of sheds
- Bridgewater West in Astley, a site that could have seen 540,000 sq ft of employment space built
- Land west of Winwick Lane in Lowton, the largest of the four and earmarked for 2.4m sq ft of units.
A cabinet report states that, without the sites, Wigan still has enough employment land to deliver its share of jobs set out in the Places for Everyone joint spatial plan for Greater Manchester but that there will be “qualitative gap in the borough’s employment land provision in terms of the range of types of sites available”.
The move comes as Wigan Council continues to come under fire from residents in Astley over the construction of large warehouses located close to people’s homes.
Councillor Paul Kenny, cabinet portfolio holder for planning, environmental services and transport, said: “We have listened to your feedback, and the views of our communities have been reflected in these decisions.
“We are aware of the depth of feeling surrounding these four sites. By removing them from the latest version of the Local Plan, we believe we have struck the right balance between supporting economic growth and job creation, providing opportunities for residents, and protecting our environment.”
Earlier this year, Peel Land unveiled plans for Gibfield Park, a 173-acre mixed-use scheme between Atherton and Westhoughton featuring 490,000 sq ft of industrial space. In July, the landowner returned with revised plans, currently out for consultation, that saw the amount of employment space reduced by more than 100,000 sq ft in response to feedback from residents.
However, despite the reduction, Wigan Council said it will not be backing the proposals, despite the site being allocated for development in Places for Everyone.
The cabinet report states: “It is clear that the Gibfield Park Masterplan is not acceptable and is the wrong plan for our residents and borough.”
“With Gibfield, we simply do not believe the proposals are appropriate and we will make that clear through the consultation,” Kenny said. “The masterplan requires the council’s approval and, in its current form, we cannot support it.”
Another Peel site, 275 acres south of Hindley earmarked for 2,000 homes, will remain in the Local Plan as it progresses to its next stage. However, the council has stipulated that a link road to unlock the scheme must be “funded and programmed before any homes are built and occupied”.
Peel was approached for comment.
