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.
Bellway Homes are consulting on plans for land to the east of Wigan Road, Landgate, Bryn. The proposals will deliver 526 new high-quality homes, a new link road through the site connecting Wigan Road to Bryn Road, upgrading of existing sports pitches at Bryn Recreation Ground including enhancements to the existing car park and associated works including landscaping and public open space.
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.
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 – Bellway Homes
Bellway Homes is a national 5-star housebuilder who have been delivering high-quality homes for over 75 years. Bellway has delivered a number of sites in Wigan recently, including development proposals at Hooten Lane, Leigh and Silk Mill Street, Mosley Common.
Registered Provider – Onward Homes
Onward Homes is one of the largest registered providers of social housing in the North West, owning and managing around 35,000 homes in Merseyside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and Cheshire. We are passionate about making a real, positive impact on behalf of the customers and communities we serve across the region. For more information about Onward please visit: www.onward.co.uk.
Planning 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 teams work with developers, local authorities and communities to ensure that a high-quality and deliverable planning permission can be achieved.
Highways Consultant – BTG 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.
Design Consultant - APD
APD is a specialist North West based design practice, who have a wealth of experience in achieving high-quality design principles which are fundamental in delivering sustainable residential development.
The Site and Background Context
The site extends to approximately 19 hectares and is currently agricultural land which lies to the south of Landgate Lane and to the north of Bryn Road.
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’. Landgate School is located to the immediate west 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 a broad location for development, 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.
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.
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.
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 town centre. The site also benefits from lying in an accessible location to Bryn Railway Station, which lies within 400m of the site.
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.
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.
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.
Local residents may be aware that Wigan Council are also in the early stages of preparing a new Local Plan. Between May-June 2025, the Council undertook a consultation entitled ' Planning for the Future 2040: Local Plan Initial Draft for Consultation', which continues to identify the site for housing development.
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.
The site layout for the Landgate development has been designed to maximise the site’s potential whilst being mindful of the surrounding area.
Bellway Homes will be applying for planning permission to provide a high-quality residential development on the site for 526 homes, a new link road through the site, which will provide connectivity between Wigan Road and Bryn Road, upgrading of existing sports pitches at Bryn Recreation Ground, upgrading of the existing car park and associated works including landscaping, public open space and a children’s play area. It is also proposed that land will be gifted by the current landowner to expand and improve the existing Landgate Special Educational Needs School, which is a significant benefit of the proposals.
Bellway Homes will be submitting a full planning application to the Council - and it is envisaged that the development will be delivered in phases. This means that the proposed 526 homes and associated infrastructure will not be delivered all at once.
The proposals will deliver 25% (132 no. dwellings), policy compliant affordable housing provision on site.
Key Facts:
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A mix of 526 new homes to suit both first time buyers and families.
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Significant improvement and reconfiguration works to the existing playing pitches at Bryn Recreation Ground. The pitches at Bryn Recreation Ground, 'for the benefit of local sports clubs such as Ashton Park JFC 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. 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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Land will be gifted to Landgate Special Educational Needs School to allow for the expansion of the existing school.
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Vehicular access will initially be taken via the existing Wigan Road/Bryn Green Avenue junction. The development will also ensure delivery of the long-standing aspiration for a link road through the site to connect Wigan Road and Bryn Road. Full details of the link road will be provided as part of the application. Once completed, the link road will help alleviate existing traffic at the Bryn Road/Wigan Road crossroads, as traffic will bypass it and provide significant betterment.
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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.
Affordable Housing
The affordable housing will be delivered by Onward Homes, a Registered Provider who specialize in affordable housing delivery across the North West - and have identified Wigan as a key priority area.
The affordable housing will be a mixture of 2 and 3 bedroom properties - which will be delivered as a mixture of social rent, rent to buy and shared ownership.
This will help to deliver much needed affordable housing in Wigan. Indeed, a 2024 Housing Needs Assessment prepared for Wigan Council confirms that there is a shortage of social housing evidenced by circa 15,000 on the waiting list for housing. This is leading to longer waiting lists for individuals and families in need and directly contributing to an increased use of temporary accommodation.
The delivery of 25% affordable housing, including social rent (which is over 50% of the overall affordable housing proposed), is therefore a significant benefit of the scheme.
Benefits of the Proposal
Bellway Homes 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 526 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 secure inward investment to upgrade and enhance the playing pitches and upgrade the existing car park at Bryn Recreational Ground;
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Provision of a mix of market and affordable homes for the local area, suitable for families to address local housing needs;
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The proposed scheme will deliver a new link road - which will ensure traffic can bypass Bryn Crossroads. This will provide betterment and will alleviate existing traffic at the 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.
Bryn Recreation Ground Improvements
As noted above, significant improvement works are proposed to Bryn 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.
In light of the above, Bellway Homes 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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Provision of a changing room facility (none currently in place).
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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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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 link 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.
Ashton Park FC has already expressed interest in the upgraded sports pitches becoming their new home. Ashton Park FC is a grassroots, community-driven football club providing a home for young players aged 4 to 18, with over 500 kids across 30+ teams. As a grassroots club, they desperately need facilities that are actually fit for purpose - including pitches that drain properly (so matches do not have to be cancelled when it rains) and a permanent home that brings the club together - rather than having teams spread across different sites every weekend.
Access and Highways
Bellway Homes are working with transport consultants Eddisons to advise on traffic and transportation issues.
Vehicular access to the site will initially be taken via the existing Wigan Road/Bryn Green Avenue junction for the initial phase of development.
The proposals will also 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 Bryn Crossroads), helping to improve highway capacity/traffic in this area.
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.
Further pedestrian 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;