Thousands of trees planted and cycling networks created as Wigan becomes a greener borough

Under its Naturalising the Borough project, 16 hectares of species-rich grassland has been created and 60,000 trees have been planted.

Six Bee Network schemes have been completed, including on the Bridgewater Canal, Standish Mineral Line, Robin Park Road and Smithy Brook Road.

Since early 2020, more than 429,850 walkers and 141,173 cyclists have been counted on the schemes.

Coun Paul Prescott, the council’s cabinet portfolio holder for environment, said: “We know from speaking to residents that having a cleaner, greener borough is a real priority, and tackling the climate crisis is a key part of making sure that our borough will be enjoyed for a long time to come.”

The council pledged to become net zero by 2038 and since then a number of action plans to deliver on this target have been rolled out.

As well as a project working closely with landlords to improve minimum energy efficiency standards across the borough’s private rented homes, a focus has been placed on making public council-owned buildings more energy efficient.

Five decarbonisation projects are underway, including at Leigh Sports Village, Howe Bridge, Leigh’s Turnpike Centre and the Makerfield Depot, which is home to the borough’s waste fleet.

This work includes the implementation of air and ground source heat pumps, LED lighting, solar power and energy efficient windows.

Coun Prescott added: “This is only the beginning of our journey, but at Wigan Council we’re really proud of our ongoing work on climate change which spans across the whole borough.

“We can all play our own part in tackling the climate crisis and we are really grateful for the personal efforts residents make too – in line with the Deal - which is illustrated so clearly in things like our high recycling rates.”

Air quality around schools has been boosted with the implementation of “school streets”, where the streets outside school are restricted to cars at drop-off and pick-up times.

Future plans include retrofitting homes to improve their energy efficiency ratings and lower bills, creating low traffic neighbourhoods and building on successes to provide options for active travel across the borough.

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