Wigan council’s proposals for over 16,000 new houses across the borough threaten green belt land despite their promises to protect green belt land; here’s what’s happening.
In April of 2025, a draft that is going through the council proposes giving up Green Belt land for housing and/or business developments all across the borough, below are the names of areas of which will be receiving new housing/business developments under these proposals:
North Leigh Park
Atherton
South Hindley
Landgate, Ashton
Westwood Park, Wigan
There have also been concerns regarding reduction of green belt land in the Astley and Boothstown area. Today there will be a protest organised by residents of this area protesting the proposals by Wigan council, viewable on their Facebook group “Save our Astley and Boothstown Greebelt” which at the time of writing, has over 1,300 members.
These proposals put forth by Wigan council are atrocious in the eyes of protection of green belt land. Across the country, we see threats to our natural environment and local green spaces in favour of new housing developments. Across Wigan, there are over 1,000 empty houses just sitting collecting dust, the council make it seem like they’re trying to utilise these houses, but the evidence is not there.
I have put an official complaint in to the council about this action and am currently awaiting response for an official petition of which I have made with the council regarding these plans. We need to protect our green spaces, not sell them off to private companies to destroy and build upon. For now, there is a petition on change.org by the organisers of the Astley and Boothstown group which has garnered over 1,700 signatures and can be accessed here: https://chng.it/bctYLCTjnW.
We are doing everything within our power to oppose their proposals as there are much better, greener ways to tackle the housing issue. We understand that housing is necessary to bring people off the streets and into a safer environment, but with upwards of 1,000 empty houses just sitting across the borough, it brings into question why the council would attack our green spaces. In 2006, the council layout proposals to protect green belt land, as of now, 4 out of the 8 policies introduced have been deleted.
These policies pose a threat not only to our local environment, but to the country as a whole, as the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. We should be aiming to protect any green space land wherever possible, not destroy any green space land, hence our opposition to these policies.
If the council wishes to create new housing, they must do so in a way that respects Wigan’s green spaces, especially green belt land, and should aim to take a carbon neutral approach as well as respect the views of the residents of the areas mentioned and under threat.