THE COUNCIL has brought in more than £10.5m in the last five years selling off land across the borough.

The sale of the former St Gabriels school in Higher Folds and council offices in Lowton have brought in extra revenue for the council and allowed more homes to be built across the borough.

A total of 141 plots of land were sold for £10,535,954 since the start of 2017.

The sale of St Gabriels and Abraham Guest in Wigan accounted for more than £3m of that total.

Charlotte Cordingley, director for housing, property and corporate assets at Wigan Council, said: “The council sells off land and property for a variety of reasons; often because it is no longer needed or to deliver on our strategic objectives, such as developing housing or infrastructure.

"The money raised from sales is used to fund the Council’s capital programme, although there may be some cases where this money is ring-fenced for specific projects.”

A number of sites would have been sold off as a result of the right-to-buy scheme, which allows council house residents to buy their homes for a reduced cost.  

Regarding the specific plots, Wigan Council said: “Following the building and opening of Abraham Guest High School, this site was no longer needed. It has been sold, with 60 homes currently being built on the site.

“At Oaklands, Lowton; these are former Council offices which were no longer needed. This site was also sold, and homes built on it.

“Higher Folds Estate; the existing school moved to a new site so it was no longer needed. It has been sold for homes to be built.   

“Mosley Common Road; this is the sale of two small plots of land to adjacent owner occupiers to extend their gardens.”