Borough estate’s lorry ban is lifted

The town hall planning committee has agreed to allow lorries through Kenwood Avenue, off Manchester Road in Leigh, while developers work on the final phase of a 27-home estate.

The homes were approved by the council in 2017 on condition that HGVs would have to access the area directly from Manchester Road to “minimise disturbance” to residents.

The site, part of which is green belt, is on the former grounds of Chadwick’s waste and scrap transfer station. A report to the planning committee states it was “inevitable” lorries would have to pass homes at some point even when the condition was made.

It says: “The Construction Environment Management Plan did not explicitly state what would happen when the development had progressed to the point where the construction of houses meant it was physically impossible to use the Manchester Road access. That point has now been reached, and in order to ensure that the development is not in breach of the CEMP, the applicant now needs to vary the condition to allow construction vehicles to access the site via Rowan Meadows and Kenwood Avenue.”

Nine letters were received by the authority raising concerns about highway safety and calling for the developers be forced to use the original access off Manchester Road.

When the application was first approved, planning agent Paul Baines said an “appropriate and sensitively designed scheme” would not have an adverse impact on neighbouring residents.

The report adds: “The concerns of residents are acknowledged, however construction of the dwellings on site is such, that it is not now physically possible to access the site direct from Manchester Road.

It is also important to note that the number of deliveries should be reduced as significant elements of construction materials are now stored on the site.”

It was approved with conditions.