Go-ahead for commerical hub set to create 700 Wigan jobs

Wigan Council has granted outline approval for Caddick’s Ashton Park development, a 360,000 sq ft industrial scheme located off Lockett Road, Ashton.

The 19-acre site is situated at the edge of the existing South Lancashire Industrial Estate.

The scheme could deliver one large or multiple smaller units, with a large power supply on-site and a height parameter of up to 18m.

Designed for manufacturing and logistics uses, Caddick says Ashton Park will create around 700 well-paid, highly skilled jobs, including 400 construction roles and a significant number of apprenticeships.

It will be a sustainable development, with plans to include EV charging facilities, a solar-panel ready roof, battery storage areas and air source heat pumps.

People working there will be encouraged to use the existing transport network and public transport routes for sustainable travel to work.

The development will offer shower facilities, drying rooms and cycle storage for those wanting to run or cycle to work.

Tom Park, associate director at Caddick, said: “We are incredibly pleased that Wigan Council has recognised the importance of this site through granting an outline planning consent. With the potential to generate tens of millions of pounds in local investment, Ashton Park is helping to meet the significant demand for sustainable industrial space in the North West.

“The development offers substantial scale and is strategically located within the prime M6 corridor, an area that has been undersupplied for years. This shortage is underscored by the high level of occupier demand we are currently experiencing.”

The council’s website states no public comments on the planning application, either in favour or opposition, were submitted prior to a decision being made.

That was in contrast to another development next to South Lancashire Industrial Estate – Meridian 6 – which faced a lot of public opposition when its plans were put forward.

The 625,000 sq ft industrial estate scheme was approved by the planning inspectorate for green belt land in May 2023, after developer Glenbrook successfully appealed the council’s planning committee’s decision to reject the application.