Residents to put up a fight over estate access route

Wiganers living on Tiverton Avenue and neighbouring Hindley Green streets have expressed alarm at the area becoming an access route to the 99 homes planned by developers Bellway.

They instead want access to be provided from Corner Lane, but Bellway’s proposal is for this to be a construction road which would then be transformed into a pedestrian and cycling route.

The site is part of the much larger North Leigh Park development and developers say it is close to both Atherton and Leigh town centres as well as Hindley Green shops and businesses.

Building there has been controversial, with locals last year forming a human chain to blockade a footpath on Tiverton Avenue so Bellway could not use it to get construction vehicles onto the land.

Neighbours now say they have no objection to the houses being built but are adamant changes are needed to how they are accessed.

Home Watch co-ordinator Terry Pemberton said: “It would spoil a quiet residential estate where people have lived for decades and there are a lot of young children who ride their bikes around the area and play on their scooters.

“It’s bad enough now trying to get out onto the main road, sometimes you can be waiting for several minutes. Most people need to have cars now because public transport doesn’t take them where they want to go for work and Harbern Drive won’t cope with the extra traffic.

“All the residents I’ve spoken to agree Corner Lane would be better for access.”

Mr Pemberton claims Bellway was asked why the alternative entrance could not be used at a public meeting and the company said it was too narrow. But when residents measured it they found it was actually wider than the streets on the Tiverton Avenue estate.

Transport assessments carried out for Bellway suggest no safety issues and only a little extra traffic by using Tiverton Avenue as an access point.

The report proposes building a mixture of detached and semi-detached homes with three or four bedrooms. No environmental issues were raised with the open grassland but the developer has promised to protect existing trees and plant new ones.

Residents have until February 2 to send in objections, with neighbours allowed to comment until February 5. A decision, delegated to council officers, is expected in April. To find out more, visit the planning section of the Wigan Council website.