Hindley & Hindley Green Labour Councillors Page

09/09/2026

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HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE LOCAL PLAN

Consultation on the Publication version of the Local Plan

In Autumn 2022, we invited local residents to have their say on the future of our borough to help us address some of our biggest challenges

09/09/2026

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SOUTH HINDLEY DEVELOPMENT UPDATE STATEMENT. .

Since 2018 when the South Hindley Development was first Lodged, Hindley & Hindley Green Labour councillors opposition to this development has been well documented.

Cllr Paul Blay, former Cllr John Vickers supported by Cllr James Palmer, Cllr Jim Talbot & former Cllr Jim Churton in conjunction with former MPJosh Simons & current MP Andy Burnhams office; have been in contact with Wigan Council regarding our concerns about the South Hindley Development.
The two major concerns have been a Link Rd and the contamination of the land.

LINK RD
Recently we have been informed , following our intervention, that Wigan Council have agreed to halt the planning process for the development, and the application will not be determined until the funding and programming of a road of a standard suitable for accommodating general through traffic and bus services is put in place.
As you are aware, our position has consistently been "No Road No Houses." We objected to a phased development of the link road, which could have resulted in up to 2000 homes being constructed before the link road became operational. As our residents know, our towns are currently experiencing significant traffic congestion all day long.

CONTAMINATED LAND

After further intervention from ourselves and taking in the strong views from the public meeting held in January of this year, the council have also agreed that the application must be supported by a robust site-wide remediation and mitigation plan that has fully investigated the risk of asbestos, using the latest available technology, the presence of mine shafts, colliery spoil, coal seams and other legacies of industry, and demonstrates conclusively that any risks will be mitigated to the satisfaction of the relevant environmental and safety agencies or authorities, including but not limited to the Environment Agency and the Director of Public Health.
This document must also be submitted before the planning application is determined.

In summary, we have successfully prompted Wigan Council to halt the South Hindley development, until these critical commitments have been met.

07/09/2026

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CLLR BOB BRIERLEY RIP

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our Hindley Green councillor colleague Cllr Bob Brierley.

Bob will always be remembered as a man who put Hindley Green at the heart of everything he did. Although people are probably unaware we worked on a lot of issues across party over the years.
Recently the South Hindley Development.

Bob leaves behind a legacy that will last for many years to come. He was passionate about his community and always stood up for the people of Hindley Green.

His passing will be a great loss, and he will be deeply missed by many across Hindley Green & Hindley

Our thoughts are with Bob’s family, friends and all those who knew and worked alongside him at this very sad time.

As a mark of respect, flags across the borough have been lowered in his honour.
RIP BOB

07/09/2026

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06/09/2026

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MORRIS STREET DISPLAY/DAISY DAYCARE CHILDREN'S PLANTER.

Out cutting the grass at 7.30am this Sunday morning on Morris St and noticing how well the childrens planter is looking.

Well done Vicky Makin and all the children from Daisy Daycare, you've done a great job.

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

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📢 OLD DOG TRACK AREA / HART COMMON/HINDLEY RESIDENTS MEETING/OUR OBJECTION

Planning Application reference number : 01245/26 Location: Land South of Wigan Road, Wigan Road, Bolton, BL5 2QZ

HINDLEY & HINDLEY GREEN LABOUR COUNCILLORS OBJECTIONS

Dear Sirs,
Planning Application 01245/26
Location: Land South of Wigan Road, Wigan Road, Bolton, BL5 2QZ
Proposal: Outline planning application for the er****on of up to 310 dwellings, together with public open space, landscaping, and associated works, following the demolition of existing buildings (access details only).

We are writing as Hindley & Hindley Green Labour Councillors to formally object to the above planning application.
The proposed development site immediately adjoins the boundary of Wigan Borough and is situated close to the established residential area of Hindley. We are particularly concerned that the proposal would involve the development of land currently designated as Green Belt.

Prematurity and Green Belt

We consider the application to be premature, particularly given the forthcoming Regulation 19 consultation on Bolton Council’s Local Plan, which is expected to take place before the end of 2026.
The emerging Local Plan will establish Bolton Council’s housing requirements and development strategy and will identify sufficient land to meet both its five-year housing land supply requirements and its longer-term housing needs.
In these circumstances, we do not consider that there is sufficient justification for the release of this Green Belt land before the emerging Local Plan process has been completed and the overall requirement for additional housing land has been properly established.
The application should therefore be considered in the context of the emerging Local Plan and should not seek to pre-empt the outcome of that process.

Transport and Highway Concerns

We have significant concerns regarding the Transport Assessment submitted in support of the application, particularly in relation to the cumulative impact of the proposed development on the surrounding Hindley highway network.
In our view, the Transport Assessment does not adequately assess the potential impact of development-generated traffic on the highway network within Hindley/Wigan Borough.
This is an important consideration because the application site is immediately adjacent to Hindley /Wigan Borough, while established residential communities are located directly to the south of the site within the Borough. Local shops, services, facilities, and other amenities within this area are also likely to attract trips generated by future residents of the proposed development.
Given the location of the site and its relationship with Hindley and the surrounding communities, we do not consider it reasonable to assume that the impact of development traffic within Hindley /Wigan Borough would be sufficiently limited to justify the absence of detailed junction modelling.
The potential increase in traffic on local roads and at existing junctions should be properly assessed, including consideration of the cumulative impact alongside existing and committed development.
The failure to adequately assess the potential effects of the proposal on junction capacity and the wider highway network within Hindley/Wigan Borough is a significant concern. Appropriate modelling and assessment should be undertaken before the application is determined.

Public Rights of Way

We also object to the proposal on the grounds that the existing Public Rights of Way network is not adequate to accommodate the additional pedestrian use that would result from the development.
The existing routes are not suitable in their current form to provide safe, convenient, and appropriate access for the increased number of residents that the proposal would generate. The development should not rely on the existing Public Rights of Way network without addressing its inadequacies.

Conclusion

For the reasons set out above, we maintain our strong objection to the proposed development.
In particular, we consider that the proposal is premature in advance of the emerging Bolton Local Plan, would involve the development of Green Belt land, and has not adequately demonstrated that the transport and highway impacts on Wigan Borough and the surrounding local road network would be acceptable.
We therefore respectfully request that the planning application is refused,
Yours sincerely,

Cllr Paul Blay
Cllr Jim Talbot
Cllr James Palmer

Please note: we can only represent residents of Hindley & Makerfield.

📧 Andy Burnham MP
[email protected]

📧 Cllr Paul Blay
[email protected]

Ben Gosling Andy Burnham Makerfield Constituency Labour Party John Vickers

05/09/2026

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Environmental Agency Flood Initiative/Public Engagement

It was a pleasure to meet up with Dermot and his team from the environment agency on Thursday.
The Environment Agency has formulated blueprints outlining strategies to mitigate flood risks in Hindley & Platt Bridge.
Dermot and his team were delighted by the considerable number of our residents who approached to interact with them and examine the schematics.

Thank you to all our residents who participated.

Cllr Paul Blay
Cllr Jim Talbot