Atherton private care home refused by Wigan Council

Situated at the former home of Kings Park School, which closed in the 1990s, a 66-bed care facility for older people had been planned until objectors made their voices clear.

Local residents were concerned that the transformation of the building off Leigh Road, which housed a Christian centre for a time, would have caused major impact to the green belt, wildlife and local traffic.

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The private facility has been refused by the council (Image: Wigan Council)

LNT Care Developments’ plans included the two-storey 3,178 sqm main building with single rooms with en-suite/wetrooms as well as amenity spaces that includes cafes; dining rooms; bars; garden room; cinema and hair dresser.

According to planning documents, all bedrooms would have enjoyed views of the surrounding gardens and ground floor rooms facing the enclosed amenity space will have direct garden access.

State-of-the art catering facilities and a 25-space car park are also included in the proposals.

A planning statement read: “The care homes built by LNT are designed with resident’s comfort at heart, and provide excellent day-to-day amenities, services and comforts in house.

In this case, this includes main lounges/dining rooms, café/bars, quiet lounges/family rooms, a garden room, cinema room, a shop and hair studio.”

However, planning officers at Wigan Council agreed with objectors, stating that development represents inappropriate development in the green belt.

They believed it would cause inappropriate harm to the openness of the green area.