Developers explain how they will tackle issues with controversial 1,100 home plan for Wigan borough

The masterplan for Mosley Common, which was approved by Wigan Council last month, came under fire after failing to address the potential impact more residents would have on schools and road congestion.

The highway network around the proposed site is a major problem at peak times – with long queues looking to access the East Lancs Road.

This causes people to be late for work, school and appointments and developer Peel L&P has identified as many as five problem junctions for which they will propose an improvement package.

This will come as part of a consultation due to be launched soon that will also address concerns around school provision and provide detail on Peel’s contribution to the community in a wider aspect in the future.

Peel L&P was unable to provide this information at the masterplan stage as the issues raised would be brought up at the planning application stage. This is something they aim to put forward in the coming months.

Close to parts of Salford – and "embedded in existing woodland and moss land” – the Mosley Common masterplan includes 1,100 homes, improved transport links, and a total £155m investment in the area.

This "new community” with a mix of homes including affordable housing, parklands, a transport hub and 200 new jobs.

Annabel Baker, Peel L&P’s associate director for development planning, said:

“We’re going to create a site that is accessible to everyone.

"The spaces we are creating will be used by the whole community.

“We are starting to look at how to get people using their bikes more and using public transport to begin with. The site will have a full network of footpaths and cycle paths to get people onto the existing transport network and buses.

“There are still going to be people using their cars so we will look at the junctions and that analysis is currently ongoing.

"It is always the junctions that are the problem rather than the actual road.

“We are going to be proposing a whole package of improvements to all the junctions in the local area to that, which is about five junctions.

"When we put out the consultation we will provide details of what we are going to do so people can understand how it works.”

Additional provisions from Peel would see an expansion of St John’s Mosley Common Primary School as well as financial support for secondary schools in the area to cope with increased demand brought by the site.

Another aspect of the proposal included a new bus stop developed in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester to give residents easy access to the Leigh Guided Busway.

Campaigner Andy Brown, who started a petition opposing this development and building on green belt land, questioned the need to build here and the amount of houses being put forward on the masterplan.

His petition, which looks to force debate on the point at full council in Wigan, already has thousands of signatures.

“The number of homes has been allocated and it has been allocated for a reason,” Ms Baker explained.

“There is not enough brownfield land in Greater Manchester and when you look at the housing problems in GM this is one of the bigger developments that has been identified as being suitable for housing and will have the least greenbelt harm of any of these sites.

“It [space for housing} is a local problem, a GM problem, and a national problem really.”

Although this site is one of the critical developments in the Places for Everyone Plan, it is not reliant on that to be put through before planning permission can be granted, despite following the guidelines provided in the PfE proposal.

Peel are looking to put forward outline planning application for the wider masterplan for the site which is 850 homes and a more detailed planning application for Phase 1 which is for over 200 homes, 25 per cent of which will be affordable.