Anger is mounting against plans for a development of 150 homes in a Greater Manchester village – even before a planning application has been submitted.
News of the anticipated scheme in Standish has been posted on Facebook by local councillor Ray Whittingham.
As a Standish representative, Coun Whittingham has been informed by Wigan council of the impending planning application from Mosaic Town Planning, based in Manchester. The development is earmarked for for land behind Moss Green Close and Wood Green Close, off Iron Drive.
New homes would be an add-on to the Church Field estate site, which is only two years old and is still being developed. But Coun Whittingham and residents in Standish are already voicing objections to proposals, citing a congested local road network, over-burdened doctors’ surgeries and dentists, and a lack of school places as the main reasons.
“There hasn’t been any improvement in the roads around Standish since they built the M6 decades ago,” he said. “The roads are already badly congested. Then there’s the sewerage and drainage systems, that are creaking.
General view looking towards the site down Moss Green Close
“There is also a lack of doctors, dentists and school places.” Even Wigan’s mayor, who is also a Standish councillor, Debbie Parkinson, is against the idea of more homes in the village.
“I don’t want any more houses in Standish,” she said. “But I think we should wait until more details appear on the planning portal before we say anything else.”
Andy Irving, 41, who lives in one of the last house to be built by Persimmons on Moss Green Close, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I would prefer the green fields there to be retained and not to be built on,” he said. Andy said he and his wife, Kerry, 36, have two boys who love to play outdoors near the fields.
The field where 150 homes could be built
Neighbour Colin Tunstall, 62, agreed. “The roads around Standish are already choc-a-bloc,” he said. “Some 150 more houses are going to make it far worse.”
Meanwhile, a string of objections have appeared on the Standish Community Facebook page after Coun Whittingham posted news of the expected planning application.
One said that Iron Drive – which would be the access road to the houses – was ‘not suitable’ for such a purpose.
Andy Herricks posted: “Can they please finish the Persimmons Fairways estate before building any more? Some of us have lived here nearly five years and the estate still looks a disgrace with unfinished roads and a wasteland next to the [Standish] leisure centre.”
Jacki Mansfield wrote: “No no no, for God’s sake the whole village, roads, schools GPs are overwhelmed.”
Sue Kirk said: “Agree with everything everyone has said. It’s too much services can’t cope. Enough is enough.”
A spokesperson for the community forum Standish Voice said: “Standish has probably seen the highest proportion of homes added to its housing stock over the past decade than anywhere else in the North West.
“But there has been no enhancement of our road infrastructure over that time to cope with around 30 per cent more traffic.
“And our NHS primary care services have actually worsened over that 10 years to the extent that the NHS locally has said our GP practice was in danger of being overwhelmed if there was any new housebuilding.
“Only a few weeks ago, Wigan’s planning committee took the responsible decision to refuse new developments in Standish because of this.”
A Wigan council spokesperson said they would not be be commenting on the issue as a planning application has not yet been submitted.
Mosaic Town Planning has been contacted for comment.