LANDGATE, WIGAN ROAD | PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
Consultation Website
Welcome to the
LANDGATE, WIGAN ROAD
Consultation Website
Welcome to the public consultation for residential development on land to the east of Wigan Road, Landgate, Bryn. On this website we introduce the proposals to you and provide a way to get in touch with us.
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Richard Estates are consulting on plans for land to the east of Wigan Road, Landgate, Bryn. The proposals will deliver around 254 new high-quality homes, a new vehicular access from Bryn Road, upgrading of existing sports pitches at Bryn Recreation Ground including the provision of a new changing room facility and associated works including landscaping and public open space.
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This website provides an opportunity to view and comment on the proposals before the planning application is submitted. The proposals represent an opportunity to provide much needed new housing to support Wigan’s diverse and growing population, in a highly sustainable location, on land which is designated within a 'Broad Location' for new development.
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Once you have had an opportunity to look at the proposals, please fill in the online feedback form and let us know what you think. Your views are important to help us develop our final detailed scheme and are very much appreciated.
Who Are We?
The Applicant – Richard Estates
Richard Estates is owned by the Baldwin family who are the landowner of the site. They are based locally at Landgate Farm. Richard Estates have appointed an experienced team of technical advisors to assess the site and develop the emerging proposals which are presented online.
Planning & Design Consultant – Pegasus Group
Pegasus Group is a multi-disciplinary planning consultancy that advises on a variety of large-scale complex development proposals across the UK. Pegasus Groups' Manchester planning and design teams work with developers, local authorities and communities to ensure that a high quality and deliverable planning permission can be achieved.
Highways Consultant – Eddison’s Transport
Eddison’s Transport, have a wealth of experience of large residential projects of this type and have extensive experience of the various transport and highways issues that are required to be dealt with in this type of residential development.
The Site and Background Context
The site extends to approximately 11.6 hectares and is currently agricultural land which lies to the south of Landgate Lane and to the north of Bryn Road.
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There are two recent residential developments to the west of the site off Wigan Road. Bellway’s ‘The Avenue’ development is located to the west, to the north of which is Miller Homes ‘Eston View’. Land Gate Farm lies to the north of the site and the Wigan to Liverpool railway line and the South Lancashire Industrial Estate are located to the east. To the south of the site are several shops and services that form the Local Centre at Bryn.
The site is deemed an appropriate location for residential development. As part of a future planning submission, a range of technical reports are currently being prepared. The key site characteristics are included below:
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The site is not subject to any national or local landscape designations. The site is not located within the Green Belt and instead is identified as Safeguarded Land, which is discussed shortly.
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The site is located within Flood Risk Zone 1, where the risk of flooding is at its lowest.
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There are no listed buildings or heritage assets within the site.​
Site Sustainability
The site lies in a sustainable and accessible location in relation to the settlement of Ashton-in Makerfield and the local area.
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In terms of accessibility to education, the site lies within walking distance of a range of local schools. This includes Landgate Primary School and Bryn St Peters Primary School which both lie within 350m of the site. Mere House Nursery and Nicol Mere Primary School lie approximately 600m to the south. Castlefield High School lies approximately 1.1km to the south.
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Bryn Local Centre is located adjacent to the southern boundary of the site and provides a range of amenities to serve the everyday needs of residents. This includes a supermarket (including post office), GP Medical Centre, pharmacy and take away restaurants. Further services and amenities are available in the town centre of Ashton-in-Makerfield within 2km of the site.
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In respect of public transport, the nearest bus stops to the site are located off Wigan Road within 200m of the site. From here, regular services are available to destinations such as Wigan, Leigh and Ashton-in-Makerfield centre. The site also benefits from lying in an accessible location to Bryn Railway Station, which lies within 400m of the site.
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Given the above, the site represents a sustainable location for residential development, providing easy access to a range of everyday services and amenities for future residents.
Planning Context
The site is identified in the Wigan Core Strategy (adopted September 2013); a document prepared and adopted by Wigan Council to ensure enough housing, employment, retail and greenspace land is available in appropriate locations to meet the growth targets set out in the Core Strategy.
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The site is identified in Policy SP4 ‘Broad Locations for New Development’ and referred to as ‘East of Wigan Road, Landgate, Ashton-in-Makerfield’. The allocation seeks to deliver employment and residential uses over the plan period (up to 2026) and is a key strategic site within the adopted Local Plan.
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Furthermore, the site is located in the 'east west core', with Policy CP 6 (Housing) outlining how at least 80% of housing will be focused in this area. Policy SP 1 (Spatial Strategy for Wigan Borough) also notes how development will be directed primarily towards the east-west core of the borough, including the town of Ashton-in-Makerfield, in order to achieve transformational regeneration and create attractive places for people to live and businesses to locate and thrive.
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Local residents may be aware that Wigan Council are also in the early stages of preparing a new Local Plan. Between October-December 2023, the Council undertook a consultation entitled ‘Planning for the Future 2040: Local Plan Options and Preferences’. The consultation document identified a preference to establish a policy for this site to deliver development of around 400 new homes.
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Both adopted and emerging planning policy is therefore supportive of the development of this site.
The Proposed Development
The vision for the development is to build a high-quality residential development and associated community sports facilities for the local area.
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The site layout for the Landgate development has been designed to maximise the site’s potential whilst being mindful of the surrounding area.
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Richard Estates will be applying for planning permission to provide a high quality residential development on the site of up to 254 homes, a new vehicular access from Bryn Road, upgrading of existing sports pitches at Bryn Recreation Ground, the provision of a new changing room facility and associated works including landscaping, public open space and a children’s play area.
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The residential element is proposed in outline. This means that full details of the new homes, such as size, design, layout etc will be approved as part of a future Reserved Matters application – when a Housebuilder is appointed to deliver the scheme. Full details will be provided of the access road off Bryn Road and the sports pitch improvements at Bryn Recreation Ground as part of this application.
Key Facts:
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A mix of up to 254 new homes to suit both first time buyers and families.
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Significant improvements works to the existing playing pitches at Bryn Recreation Ground. The pitches are currently in a poor condition and prone to water-logging. Further details are provided in the following section.
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The existing car park for the Recreation Ground is currently in a poor state. The proposals will provide improvements to the car park to bring it up to a useable standard alongside the provision of a new changing room facility. Further details are provided in the following section.
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To achieve a permeable and legible development, a flexible and variable network of public routes will be created through the site – ranging from a hierarchy of streets, lanes and shared drives and footpaths which will be provided as part of a future Reserved Matters application.
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Vehicular access will be taken from Bryn Road to the south of the site, via a new access road to the west of Bryn Recreational Ground. The development seeks to deliver a substantial part of the new link road from Bryn Road to Wigan Road which (once complete) will help alleviate existing traffic at Bryn Crossroads.
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Active frontages will be established along all the site boundaries to create attractive street scenes and provide natural surveillance.
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Landscaping will be provided within the site and along its edges as appropriate, alongside new site areas of publicly accessible open space and a children’s play area.
Benefits of the Proposal
Richard Estates would like the development proposals at Landgate to become a valuable addition to the community in Ashton in Makerfield. We believe that the proposals can offer a range of benefits for both existing and new residents on a regional scale, including the following:
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The development will provide around 254 new homes and will contribute significantly to the delivery of much needed housing and the Council's five-year land supply.
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The delivery of a scheme that makes effective use of land through maximising development whilst taking into account key site opportunities and constraints, resulting in a viable scheme.​
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The development will provide construction jobs including new apprenticeships and supply chain jobs in the local area. Once occupied, circa £6.7 million per annum will be spent locally by residents to support the future vitality and viability of existing shops, services and community groups / organisations.
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The development will secure inward investment to upgrade and enhance the playing pitches, provide a new changing room facility and upgrade the existing car park at Bryn Recreational Ground;
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Provision of a mix of homes for the local area, suitable for families to address local housing needs;
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Council tax provision of approximately £465,000.
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The proposed scheme will provide a high-quality development, alongside delivery of a significant part the new link road which (once complete) will help alleviate existing traffic at Bryn crossroads.
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The development will create an access along the existing sport pitches. There will be no net loss of playing area and the pitches will be enhanced as part of the proposals.
Economic Benefits
Bryn Recreation Ground Improvements
As noted above, significant improvement works are proposed to Byrn Recreation Ground. The sports pitches and associated car parking are currently in a poor state of repair. The existing pitches suffer from drainage issues and waterlogging, which limits their ability to be used by local sports clubs and the community. The car park is also in a poor condition and is prone to anti-social behaviour.
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In light of the above, Richard Estate’s development proposals provide the opportunity to enhance the existing poor quality playing pitches alongside changing room facilities and improved car parking. The following is proposed:
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The existing sports pitches at Bryn Recreation Ground are to be enhanced and re-orientated to bring them up to Sport England standards, including spectator areas. This will include regrading and drainage works to ensure that the playing pitches are of a high-quality standard, to the benefit of the local community and sports groups.
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The improvement works will increase match capacity and result in a significant increase in participation and usage by local sports and community groups.
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A changing room facility is proposed and will be provided in the existing car park. This facility will provide 2 changing room areas and associated shower facilities for use by sports clubs and the local community using the pitches.
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Reconfigured and upgraded car park to serve the sports pitches.
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The southern-most proposed dwellings will be front-facing/overlooking the sports pitches to provide a positive streetscene and natural surveillance and help to alleviate existing anti-social behaviour concerns.
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A proposed spine road is proposed and will run to the immediate west of the sports pitches. Replacement land for the sports pitches is provided to the north to compensate for open space lost. Protective fencing will be provided where required to prevent balls from leaving the playing pitch areas.
Access and Highways
Richard Estates are working with transport consultants Eddisons to advise on traffic and transportation issues.
Vehicular access to the site is proposed off Bryn Road to the south via a new access road running to the west side of Bryn Recreation Ground.
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The longer-term ambition is to deliver a link road running from Bryn Road to the south, then through the site connecting to Wigan Road to the west. This will allow some traffic to by-pass the A49/Bryn Road junction (known as Byrn Crossroads), helping to improve highway capacity/traffic in this area.
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Initial highways assessment work undertaken by Eddisons has found that the proposed residential development will not have a severe impact on Byrn Crossroads in terms of additional traffic created. Any traffic impact upon Bryn Crossroads will also only be a short-term impact, until such a time the proposed link road is in operation connecting Bryn Road and Wigan Road.
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The internal access road has been designed to accommodate waste and delivery vehicles so that they can enter the site, turn around and exit in a forward gear. This will ensure there is no detrimental impact to the public highway and confirm that the site can be serviced without giving rise to any road safety issues. Consideration will also be given to the impact of the proposals on the wider highway network during this interim stage.
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Further pedestrian and cycle points are proposed throughout the site, allowing for access to the local area by sustainable means. This includes a pedestrian access to Landgate Lane to the north and links to existing development to the west.
Indicative Site Layout
Next Steps & Feedback
Before we submit the planning applications described above, we would like to hear the views of local residents, businesses and site neighbours. Your comments will help us develop the scheme proposals before the planning application is submitted.
A meaningful consultation should provide the opportunity for genuine dialogue. We are committed to providing this opportunity and therefore we encourage you to send all feedback to:
Or via the feedback form below;