Cherry Tree Grove, Leigh
Potential Future Redevelopment – Land at Cherry Tree Grove, Leigh
Housing Context
Across the country and here in Wigan borough there is unprecedented and growing demand for affordable housing. Wigan Council’s Housing Register has more than doubled over the last few years to about 15,000 applicants.
Through our new build housing programme, we are working proactively to deliver sustainable, affordable homes, in line with current and future housing legislation, and the need to play our part in tackling climate change.
Cherry Tree Grove
The council actively manages its land and property to ensure that it is used to best effect to meet local priorities; including delivering much-needed good quality, affordable homes and the land at Cherry Tree Grove, Leigh has been identified as a potential site for a small development of new homes.
Proposals
We are looking to develop 12 x 1 bed apartments on the site for affordable rent. The properties would be mainly let to single people in need of council accommodation, although couples may also be considered for some of the units. The proposed scheme has been designed to meet local housing needs and all the homes would be owned and managed by Wigan Council.
Phases
Cherry Tree Grove Feedback Phase
Consultation outcome
Following the community consultation held between 18th July and 4th August, we can advise that the pre planning submission consultation to develop land at Cherry Tree Grove, Leigh has been completed and we are now in a position to submit the planning application. Further planning information will be added via phase 3 on this platform once available.
Feedback
We received five responses, raising a number of issues including:
- existing parking and traffic (and related noise) issues and insufficient parking on the proposed scheme
- existing drainage problems backing up in peoples’ gardens
- current antisocial behaviour and littering, which will be exacerbated due to the proposed scheme
- loss of play space
- over development of the site
- the house type (1 bed apartments) and no provision for older people in the proposals and the housing lettings approach
Response
We have considered these issues carefully with colleagues in Housing Management and our design team who have made the following amendments:
- the homes will be let sensitively to households on the housing register
- all ground floor apartments will have wet rooms which will make them suitable for letting to older residents and those with mobility issues
- there will be communal garden areas (rather than individual gardens for ground floor apartments only)
- an additional carparking space has been provided along with 4 new disabled car parking spaces (this meets and exceeds planning policy requirements)
We feel these changes will appeal to a wider range of households, including households downsizing and also those with minor mobility issues. The communal gardens will also allow privacy with no hidden spaces and provide a space for all households to access garden space and help build a sense of community. We have commissioned surveys of the existing drainage and a drainage proposal is being developed for a suitable drainage solution for the approval of United Utilities and the Local Planning Authority.
The scheme will be well managed and maintained, with quality boundary treatments and fencing which will help ensure that the scheme remains safe and secure on completion and into the future. The planting and landscaping proposed will help soften noise issues. Please see attached site plan showing this. We acknowledge that there are issues with road traffic congestion in areas across Leigh and the borough as a whole. New developments are required to comply to a range of policies including parking – as indicated above; this development meets and exceeds these requirements and because it is a small development it will not have a significant impact on local traffic. The site is on housing department land, and not designated as open space, and we have a duty to look at all appropriate options to address housing need. We have forwarded the points raised about the condition of the local parks to the relevant teams.
For any other comments or questions please contact the New Homes and Regeneration team via e-mail at NewDevelopment@wigan.gov.uk