New homes get the thumbs-up

Plans to flatten a large old building in order to create 27 new homes there have been given the green light.
Wigan Town HallWigan Town Hall
Wigan Town Hall

Wigan town hall’s planning committee agreed to allow the building work at The Lodge in Astley, which will create a mixture of detached, semi-detached and mews houses.

Developers applied for permission to knock down the large bungalow-type property currently on the site off Coldalhurst Lane and shut off the existing access road to vehicles, though it will be retained as a footpath.

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The site, which will also include seven affordable houses to meet the council’s quota of 25 per cent, will instead be accessed off Manchester Road and is designed to link up with further new developments between Manchester Road and the East Lancashire Road.

Planning officer Graham Dickman said: “Currently this is a large existing detached property in quite substantial grounds and most of the site is essentially open pasture.

“This is a highly sustainable location in the east-west core of the borough which is suitable for house building.”

Mr Dickman said the site was currently safeguarded land but the development could be brought forward due to Wigan Council being unable to provide a five-year supply of land for house building.

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Although there were no speakers against the development Wigan Council received 27 letters of objections, with concerns about the footpath access to Coldalhurst Lane leading to anti-social behaviour, impact on wildlife and traffic.Officers agreed to monitor lighting on Coldalhurst Lane after Coun Fred Walker suggested more people using it may require new street lamps to be put in.

The development was unanimously approved subject to conditions in the application.

Coun Jeannette Prescott said: “The development is well laid out.

“They could have fitted a couple more houses on this site if they pushed it, but they haven’t done that so I think there are no issues.

“A lot of thought has gone into this application.”

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