Waste firm hopes for double planning success

Maxilead Metals' site at the Parr Bridge Works in Tyldesley

Maxilead Limited is asking for permission to build a new recycling centre in Atherton and transform its Tyldesley site into an ambitious development of homes, retail units and local facilities.

Wigan Council’s planning committee will consider both applications as the two are linked, with the firm hoping money from the redevelopment will fund the move.

The scrap metal business is looking to move to a site where it can grow without disturbing neighbours and has picked an old quarry just to the north of the Chanters Industrial Estate off Arley Way.

At the same time it wants to turn the Parr Bridge Works on Mosley Common Road into up to 154 houses, six buildings for business use including restaurants and cafes, a health centre and a nursery.

The redevelopment is only an outline proposal at this stage, with matters other than access reserved for future applications.

Maxilead has undertaken extensive discussions with officers for transforming the 18.2-acre site and the proposal is unusual as half of it is green belt land.

This means that even if the proposal goes through tomorrow the council will have to send it off to the secretary of state who will have the right to call it in.

Maxilead wants to put three large buildings on the Atherton site, with one purely being used for storage and processing, another also containing offices and the third having plant repair facilities, a truck bay and a tyre wash within it.

The proposals have attracted some opposition, with a handful of residents sending objections about both applications and Bolton West MP Chris Green raising concerns about the new recycling centre.

Although the plans have both been recommended for approval officers are expected to ask councillors to approve a lengthy list of conditions covering the work.

A section 106 agreement is also likely to be imposed to govern the phasing of the work.

Complaints include pollution and the loss of green belt land.

The planning committee meets on Tuesday January 16 at 2pm at Wigan Town Hall.