Be clear in your objection and say that you request the council NOT to approve the masterplan as it is being proposed. AND make sure that you also object to Phase 1 which is the first phase of housing that is also part of this consultation. 

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Traffic congestion on Wigan Road, Schofield Lane, North Road and surrounding junctions, especially at peak commuting and school times. Request independent modelling and mitigation. The number of homes has potentially increased from around 500 to around 600 which means previous modelling will not be valid. The industrial units will bring more HGVs potentially working round the clock increasing the congestion. The potential closure of Lovers Lane will also add to the traffic disruption and potentially impact on emergency services attending calls in the area.

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Road safety concerns for pedestrians, cyclists and children, particularly where new traffic would interact with existing residential streets and school routes.

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Pressure on local GP surgeries, dentists and NHS services, with evidence of existing difficulty obtaining appointments. Pressure on secondary school places, requiring proof that sufficient capacity exists before large-scale housing is occupied. If you have details of people who have had to send children to schools outside the area please share them in the objection.

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Cumulative impact with other recent and planned developments in Atherton, Leigh, Westhoughton and surrounding areas. Estimated 9,000 additional homes already in the area and more than 250,000 sq metres of industrial units. The masterplan doesn't take account of these other developments and the impact it will all have on the infrastructure and area. 

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Air quality deterioration from increased traffic and warehouse-related vehicle movements near existing homes. Noise pollution from employment uses, delivery vehicles, HGVs and longer operating hours associated with business premises.

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Scale and height of homes and particularly industrial buildings, and that they remain visually intrusive despite proposed setbacks from existing homes. Referencing the impact of Astley Warehouses and use of them as B2/B8 warehouses. The homes and the units will be substantially higher (4 metres) than existing homes and this is before the size of the hill at Gibfield Way is included. Object to the size of the homes as well as the industrial units.

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Loss of residential amenity, including overlooking, visual impact, lighting, noise and changes to outlook for existing properties. There is a right to light for homes around the site.

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Flood risk and drainage concerns, including whether additional hard surfacing could worsen local surface-water flooding. (Ask for robust drainage evidence and long-term maintenance plans.) If you have experience of flooding around your home or on the roads add details.

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Loss of open countryside and green space, even with the proposed country park, and the impact on the area's semi-rural character and local identity. There is no detail provided of the understanding of the ecological impact. In Places for Everyone it was detailed as a ‘rare wetland habitat’.

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Building before roads and infrastructure is in place. The building traffic will ALL be using the Talbot roundabout and there is no modelling provided about how this will work on a roundabout that is already overloaded. There is no detail of how the road over the railway line by North Road will be funded or even if it will be funded. The masterplan appears to support building taking place before infrastructure is in place.

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Lack of guaranteed local employment benefit, questioning whether warehouse development will genuinely create suitable jobs for local residents. And that it will not create the 1,000+ jobs proposed. (Astley warehouses is 50 per cent full with just eight jobs) The place was earmarked for development to help with local jobs and local jobs will not come through B2/B8 warehouses.

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You can request legally enforceable conditions on building heights, landscaping, buffer zones, operating hours, HGV routing and environmental protections, rather than relying on indicative masterplan drawings.

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Impact on wildlife and habitats, particularly ensuring protection of the rare wetland species, bats, owls and protected species such as great-crested newts. Sadly, there is little consideration given to objections on the basis of loss of habitat.

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High pressure gas pipeline running through the site of the industrial units is a significant risk both in the development of the site and HGVs in the area, and when the units are operational. Previous building work in the area had proposed to leave that area as farmland/green belt space. There is no clear understanding of what lies beneath the hill behind Wigan Road and there are concerns that potentially toxic material may be disturbed during the building work. 

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Lack of detail in the masterplan that has made it problematic to object and to engage with the process. There is little information to help residents make objections and some information can be misleading. For example, the measured 65m from the back of properties to the first industrial units and the 30m from the front of properties on Wigan Road to the first industrial units is calculated from the windows of the house despite saying it is 'from the rear or front of the property'. There have also been a lack of surveys in place that would support the development proposals. 

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Management of the country park is unclear and there is little detail on how it would be developed, who would operate it and how it would be maintained. 

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Poor nature of the consultation process - including events held during working hours and during holiday period.

 

The masterplan has moved away from what was previously consulted on under Places For Everyone. At that point industrial was next to industrial and residential was near residential. This is not the case with this masterplan that puts industrial behind residential. See The Proposal for more details. 

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Additional concerns in relation to Places for Everyone information.

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• At the Places for Everyone hearing, Wigan Council confirmed it would not be a formal country park which makes the masterplan outline questionable.

 

• The Places for Everyone hearing widened the location of the industrial units to allow more flexibility for developers. This was without any consideration of the views of residents. 

 

• The placing of industrial units was justified because of highway links that are not yet agreed or funded. The success was directly linked to the accessibility that is not in place.

 

• The Places for Everyone hearing clarified this was industrial B2 and B8 warehouses and not office space despite the masterplan images and the agreement to have space for local business. These are not local business spaces but logistics and warehousing. 

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LATEST ADDITION: 

Given the way the Wigan Local Plan is being managed please look to include: 

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Given that the Local Plan timeline has been delayed, the Cabinet has a clear opportunity—and a duty—to pause and reassess what is actually right for Atherton. Given it's been delayed, we must request that the Gibfield employment space be significantly reduced or completely removed from the local plan entirely.

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NEW NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK - AUGUST 2026

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Key points to include from the NPPF

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• Impact on residents: Warehouse and logistics developments must be designed so that impacts on nearby residents are acceptable, particularly noise, traffic, lighting and any night-time operations. Policy E3 specifically says impacts on local residents should be acceptable, taking account of proposed mitigation. 

• Pollution and living conditions: Development should not create unacceptable noise, air pollution, light pollution or other harmful effects on neighbours. Authorities should refuse schemes that cannot provide acceptable living conditions. 

• Traffic impacts: If the warehouses would generate significant HGV traffic, developers must provide transport assessments. Development should be refused if it would have a severe impact on congestion or highway safety. 

• Design and character: New development should respond to the character of the area and integrate with its surroundings. Poorly sited industrial buildings next to homes could be challenged on design and placemaking grounds.

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To view the full National Planning Policy Framework document go here.

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