Call for by-pass to be included in plan for 2,000 homes to be built in Wigan

Many of them delivered a strong message to developers, stating: “There can be no homes without roads.”

They were attending two public consultation meetings in Hindley and Hindley Green organised on behalf of applicants Wigan Council and Peel real estate firm Avison Young.

The proposal is for a “mixed-use” development in the south Hindley area, along with a new east-west strategic link road with four access points onto the new estate between Liverpool Road and Leigh Road.

It includes a new local centre incorporating a new primary school and flexible provision for new shops, a healthcare centre and other community facilities.

A “refreshed” application for the scheme will be submitted in early February, updating an initial plan which was tabled in 2018, with a decision expected in autumn 2025.

People who the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to – as well as local councillors James Palmer, John Vickers and Paul Blay – are adamant that there needs to be a major by-pass through Hindley to alleviate traffic passing between Wigan and Bolton before the new houses are built.

The township is already notorious for its rush hour snarl-ups even before thousands more residents and vehicles are added to the mix.

And hopes for a by-pass have been in the air for many years as part of what used to be called Route 225 which aimed to join the M61 at Westhoughton to the M6 at Orrell. Some sections to the west have been completed but Hindley is one of the knottiest problems.

Asquith Road resident Brian Neary, 65, was one of a total of 500 people who turned up to the two presentations.

Speaking from St John’s Church, on Atherton Road, Hindley Green, he said: “The amount of houses doesn’t bother me. I know people need somewhere to live.

“The problem is whether we’ve got the infrastructure. The road through the estate that will link Liverpool Road and Leigh Road will add to the traffic that’s already there.

“And those roads are chock-full even now, and that’s before 2,000 houses with the potential of another 4,000 cars are to be considered.

“Sometimes from Hindley it takes me an hour to get into Wigan by car and it’s only four miles away. What I am saying is that we can’t have homes with no roads.”

One visitor with inside knowledge of the traffic issue is 77-year-old Peter Skellern, also a nearby resident.

He worked on the defunct Route 225 plan aimed at speeding up traffic between Wigan and Bolton.

Mr Skellern said he worked on the scheme for Lancashire County Council and Greater Manchester Council in the 1970s and ’80s.

“Route 225 was designed to cater for existing traffic,” he said. “Adding more housing and sections of road piece-meal isn’t going to work. I think what they’re trying to do is build the relief road in sections along with more housing, but it will just make matters worse.

“I spent the last 25 years of my working life doing traffic impact assessments, so I know what I’m talking about.”

Not everyone was against the plan though. Bob Watson, 71, said: “We simply need more houses. There is a cycle route planned through the housing which I am very much in favour of.

“It’s sad that I am the only person who seems to be in favour of it. If you are in your early 20s and trying to get on the housing ladder, this is a good thing.”

Rachael, 41, agreed, saying: “I support the plan for the houses and the link road. You need to apply a bit of critical thinking to it. The traffic issue is everywhere you go.”

Julia Ratcliffe, 50, who lives on Park Road on the north side of the proposed development, said: “It’s only a narrow single lane road where car park either side. I fear we’re going to be gridlocked. And what about the wildlife on the green land that there now? There are newt and deer habitats on that land.”

Her friend Carole Fairhurst also lamented the potential loss of heath land in the area.

“I learned to ride on that land and it was there that I first fell off a horse,” she said.

Meanwhile, Coun Palmer, who was one of the visitors to the St John’s Church consultation, complained information about the south Hindley plan was “very vague”.

“I don’t think they’re very sure of what the plan is,” he said. “I’ve lived in Hindley Green all my life and in this area my family goes back several generations. If they build 2,000 houses, there’s likely to be 4,000 cars.

“We’ve already got cars and HGVS flying up down the roads. People’s lives will be at risk.”

Wigan Council’s director of place Aiden Thatcher said: “This refreshed masterplan for the site south of Hindley aims to deliver its best for our present and future communities, addressing issues raised in historic discussions about this site.

“Principles in this outline application include much-needed housing, including affordable homes, part of a wider east-west road link and major investment in education facilities, while retaining and improving green space for community use.

“While we cannot pre-judge the decision of the planning committee, the section of the M6-M61 link road within this site is a key part of the wider strategic plan to deliver wider east-west connectivity which is a priority for the council.”