Peel L&P secures outline planning for 268 family homes on former colliery site in Wigan

Plans for up to 268 family homes at the former Pemberton Colliery site have been approved by Wigan Council today with an agreed allocation for affordable housing.

Peel L&P’s outline planning application for the brownfield site at Smithy Brook Road is set to provide a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes to help the borough to meet its housing demand with 13 per cent earmarked for affordable housing.

The 29-acre site is bordered by the Kirkby to Wigan and Pemberton railway lines offering excellent transport links to Wigan, Pemberton and Kirkby and to Warrington via the A49 to the M6.

The residential development also helps the council to secure funding for the M58 link road with Peel L&P committing to funding the section that runs through the site.

Over seven acres of the site will provide green infrastructure including public open space, with maintained woodland habitat and new pedestrian and cycle routes to connect people to highways, public transport, local schools and shops.

The scheme will now be taken forward by Peel L&P’s homebuilder Northstone with a more detailed reserved matters application to follow later this year.

Jonathan England, Development Director at Northstone, part of Peel L&P, said: “This development helps Wigan to meet its short and long-term housing demand and we’ve worked with the council to agree that 13 per cent of the development will be allocated to people with affordable housing needs.

“Peel L&P’s homebuilder Northstone will now bring these plans forward to create flexible, energy-efficient family homes that will help residents to save money on their fuel bills and industry leading broadband connectivity to help those working from home.

“The evidence shows that it’s unlikely the former Pemberton Colliery site would be redeveloped for employment use. Peel L&P has committed to build the part of the M58 Link Road which runs across this site to help secure important infrastructure for the borough.”

Northstone is hoping to submit a reserved matters application by then end of summer which could mean construction starts on the site in mid 2021.

The planning application is subject to Legal Agreement by Wigan Council.