Plans for 12 flats behind Wigan pub are withdrawn

A plan to build a dozen flats close to Wigan town centre has been withdrawn, amid several objections from neighbours.

Proposals had been put to the council for 12 apartments to be built on land behind The Griffin Hotel in Standishgate, following the demolition of the existing Gorton Bros garage.

But the application, which attracted 11 objectors, will no longer be considered for approval after the developers pulled the plug.

Had the idea gone ahead, a dozen one-bedroom apartments would have been created, based on blueprints which revealed plans for a three-storey building.

It is uncertain why the plans were withdrawn, but the decision came after several objections from residents, mostly living in Northgate House apartments.

One said: “This proposed development will significantly reduce natural light and will severely and negatively impact all residents of Northgate House. In my view this is an inappropriate site for this size of development.”

Another person commented: “This application has been poorly thought out and as such would not constitute good planning for the benefit of the citizens of Wigan, therefore, I strongly object to the granting of approval to the proposed scheme.”

Another said: “The proposed development is far too close to Northgate Court.

“It will make living there very unpleasant for everybody, there will be a loss of natural light into the building.”

They added: “It is a invasion of privacy for people living in some of the apartments in Northgate Court, this is unacceptable.”

But new living quarters will still be coming to the town centre, after an unrelated application to build flats in Market Street were green lit.

Office space on the first and second floors above the Pearson Vue theory test centre will be converted into four apartments. The site was chosen by developers because of its close links to the bus station and railway stations.

A planning officer’s report said that noise concerns could arise from the development, but that building regulations would require the units to be sound tested before they are moved into.

They added that, due to the central location of the building, ambient noise was already a factor in the area.

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