TWO big developments in the borough will see hundreds of new jobs created for locals.
The creation of a new multi-million pound work hub for J Murphy and Sons in Golborne would provide 213 additional jobs to the area as well as 26 new homes. The latest meeting of the planning committee heard how J Murphy and Sons have operated from their Wigan Road base since 1969.
Now they want to create a ‘state-of-the-art hub’ to operate from for ‘at least’ the next 50 years – providing the new roles. This proposal includes an office building, workshops, yard and open storage as well as new vehicular accesses and car parking.
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As part of the plans, the existing buildings will be demolished and transformed into a 26-home development backing onto a new public greenspace.
Dubbed the ‘One Murphy Hub’ it represents more than £40m investment in the borough and the local community – consolidating three Murphy sites into one. The specialist engineering and construction company believe that the delivery of further opportunities and vital training for local people outweighs harm to the green belt this development would cause.
Company chief executive John Murphy told the committee the new public greenspace would provide 4.7 hectares of publicly accessible, ecologically rich, open space and more than 1km of paths with the inclusion of wetland. Local objector Wendy Whittle, who described the proposal as ‘monstrous’, told Wigan Town Hall how it would encroach on the green belt land, impact highways safety as well as noise pollution.
Despite objections, the local ward councillors for Golborne and the planning committee believed the benefits outweigh the negatives of this site – and gave it the green light. The 26 new homes will be built after the One Murphy Hub is erected and the former site is demolished.
Hindley Green Business Park drive-thrus
Two new drive-thrus are to be built on the outskirts of Leigh to provide dozens of new jobs – despite opposition from locals.
A drive-thru restaurant and coffee shop will be created at Hindley Green Business Park in addition to 17 new industrial units and 143 new car parking bays. The applicant, Eden Asset Management, says this would create a potential 40 jobs in the drive-thrus and ‘promote consumer choice and provide a roadside service’.
There is no confirmation as to what companies will be occupying the drive-thrus or industrial units. The existing buildings at the site that would be demolished to make way for the new site.
Leigh Road, where this site sits, connects Leigh and Hindley and is well used by residents in the area. Nippon Electric Glass Fibre UK is based at the site and has HGVs coming and going all day – which is something objectors say adding to would ’cause significant disruption’.
Objectors believe the area already has too much traffic because of the business park and this proposal ‘would lead to litter, vandalism and increase obesity issues’. Council officers explained to the committee there is no evidence the development would have a severe impact on traffic on Leigh Road.
However, Coun David Hurst and Coun Janice Sharratt did not hear enough to ease their concerns on road safety and littering. In contrast Coun John Harding and Coun Laura Flynn believed the potential for employment this site brings outweighs the concerns.
The decision split the room as committee chair Coun Paul Kenny had to break a tie of seven voters against and seven voters in favour of the decision. Coun Kenny chose to approve the proposal.
Decisions on a new children’s home and a HMO
Plans to transform a house in Hindley into a children’s home for two youngsters was approved. A proposal to increase the capacity of a Wigan-based six bedroom house of multiple occupation (HMO) for six people to nine people was refused by the planning committee.
The refsual of the Park Road site put forward by applicant Karl Clarke was based on concern of overdevelopment of a site orginally used as a three-bedroom home.
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