A developer has said green belt land would 'have to be released elsewhere' if they were to scale down their controversial 1,100 home masterplan at Mosley Common. This came after more than 3,400 people signed a petition - started by campaigner Andy Brown - calling for Wigan Council to investigate whether there is a need to give up green belt land for more houses that are 'not needed'.
The petition has only been live for three weeks and has already amassed a large amount of signatures. It only needs 5,000 for the issue to be debated at full council.
“When we saw Bury Council withdraw one of their sites, it set a precedent,” Andy Brown said.
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“Peel’s masterplan is what we want them to have another look at and base their judgement on the latest figures. If we have got an excess of houses in the borough we may want to trim it down.
“People don’t know if Peel will make good on their promises. What would it take for them to be open to a discussion to change the amount of houses they’re proposing?”
Peel L&P have promised new amenities, a new bus stop for the Leigh Guided Busway, and more buses to go on it - but nothing is guaranteed in the masterplan about relieving the nearby road network, much to the disappointment of residents. The land in question at Mosley Common is part of the green belt, and there is also concern over where this could be reallocated to in the borough.
The decision to call-in Peel’s masterplan - that includes a vision of a new community and travel hub with shops and spaces for events and classes as well as a network of footpaths and cycleways - resulted in the cabinet maintaining their decision to approve. Campaigners believe they did not fully reconsider the decision.
A spokesman for Wigan Council said: “Any petition submitted to the Council will require validation and consideration against the terms of the Council’s Petition Scheme. Where a petition is accepted under the Scheme and contains 5,000 signatures or above, it will be debated by the full Council.”
The council, if the petition reached 5,000 signatures, would have to debate two points: whether to commission an investigation into whether there is still a need to release green belt land in the borough (specifically in Mosley Common and Atherton) as part of the Places For Everyone plan and if they should bring proposals forward through the correct council channels, resulting in amendments to or withdrawal from the Places For Everyone plan. Bury Council submitted a request to withdraw their Walshaw site from the plan due to the impact on the green belt.
Nick Graham, Peel L&P’s Associate Director for Planning said: “The Greater Manchester metro area has a population of over 2.75m people and little new family and affordable housing being built, and the dearth of quality housing has continued to increase prices making them less affordable. We believe with delays in the adoption of the Places for Everyone plan there is an urgent need to get on with delivering new family and affordable homes.
“We have prepared plans for new sustainable communities in Mosley Common and Gibfield in Atherton that will help Wigan to provide new energy-efficient homes for its communities, as well as providing new jobs, better transport and local facilities. We will consult widely with the public as we progress these proposals.”
Speaking on the matter of whether Peel would consider reducing the number of houses on the proposed Mosley Common site, Mr Graham said: “The Gibfield allocation in Atherton has already been reduced from 750 homes to 500, whilst the Mosley Common allocation is several hundred houses smaller than we originally proposed. If these allocations were further reduced, it would require the release of other Green Belt land in Wigan to make up the difference.”
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