Have a say on future of Wigan village

Standish Voice has announced the second round of opinion-seeking has opened on how its Neighbourhood Plan influences the township’s development until 2030.

The document seeks to put in place policies and statements on important issues facing Standish, including housing, protecting green spaces, car parking and ensuring the centre thrives.

Residents have six weeks to respond to the plan and it will then be subject to expert scrutiny at the town hall and externally.

It is then hoped the village will go to the polls for a referendum on the final document next spring.

Paul Ogden from Standish Voice said: “The plan reflects the views of the village and what people want it to look like going forward until 2030.

“We’ve done a lot of work over the past three years since we started this process and we want people to continue to be involved as we see it through to its conclusion.”

The idea of including a car park at The Rec has been dropped for the consultation in response to public opinion and Standish Voice says it is looking to strengthen protection for it while designating three other areas as local green spaces.

There are ideas to revitalise the middle of Standish, create two green corridors so people can enjoy the countryside and wildlife can flourish and ensure there are enough affordable homes and properties for older people being built as these are needed.

Another idea is for Gidlow Tip, which is marked as a reclamation area, to help meet energy demand by creating a solar farm there.

This would last for a set amount of time before the old industrial site is transformed into a park or nature reserve.

Standish’s Neighbourhood Plan is the first in Greater Manchester to get to this stage and if it is passed at a referendum next year will be adopted by Wigan Council.

That means it will have legal weight and must be taken into consideration for planning decisions. It is hoped it will also provide guidance to the town hall on spending developer and government pots.

The plan also seeks to protect historic pubs, control the number of takeaways and improve and create cycle paths and foot routes.

The consultation lasts until December 19. Have your say at www.wigan.gov.uk/Council/Strategies-Plans-and-Policies/Planning/Neighbourhood-plan/Standish-plan.aspx