Developers of 1,100 neighbourhood in Wigan borough ‘will deal’ with residents' concerns later down the line

Peel L&P explained that matters to do with congested roads, green belt and education provision in Mosley Common will be part of their plans submitted when they seek planning approval further down the line.

Their “masterplan” includes a vision of a new community and travel hub that would include shops and spaces for events and classes, as well as a network of footpaths and cycleways.

That got kicked back to Wigan Council’s cabinet this week by the confident places scrutiny committee because it did not address issues from objectors – which is why it received a cold response from councillors.

Coun Stuart Gerrard, who called in the decision to approve the masterplan earlier this month, explained that not enough was being done to address issues raised by councillors and residents – which also includes waiting lists to join dentists and GPs as well as bus capacity.

The V1 and V2 buses that run from Leigh and Atherton respectively are regularly not stopping at Mosley Common due to them already being at capacity, Wigan Town Hall heard this week.

The Leigh guided busway runs through the planned development where a new bus stop would be built to serve the new community.

This financial backing of the new stop will also include additional funds to increase the fleet of buses. However, this was described as “not enough” by opposing councillors.

Annabel Baker, Peel L&P’s associate director for development planning, said: “Earlier this year we held a detailed public consultation to help create a masterplan for a new community at Mosley Common in Wigan – a £155m investment for the area with new homes including affordable housing, parklands, improved public transport and around 200 new jobs. The masterplan provides a framework for future development and establishes a commitment to infrastructure and extensive green space.

“It has been developed in line with the emerging Places for Everyone strategy for Greater Manchester and does not seek to pre-empt this process. The specific matters raised by the scrutiny committee will be dealt with through a detailed planning application, such as green belt, traffic mitigation and education provision.

“Before any application is submitted there will also be another opportunity for the local community to comment on the proposals.”

The position that the majority of the councillors took was to wait for this “masterplan” to be looked at by the independent inspectors in central government as part of the Places for Everyone scheme – a strategy setting out where 165,000 homes will be built across Greater Manchester.

This would mean a delay to proceedings until PFE is decided for the developers, who broke ground on this project back in 2016.

Ms Barker said: “The masterplan is a requirement of the Places for Everyone policy that was signed off by Wigan Council. It doesn’t seek to pre-empt the Places for Everyone process but supports it by demonstrating that the site can deliver 1,100 homes, in line with Wigan Council’s evidence for the plan.”

The masterplan is now back with the portfolio holder for planning, transportation and environmental services Paul Prescott – who must review the proposal and scruntise it further with the council’s cabinet.