Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 14th November, 2014)

They look like they are going to be bonny homes for any young family.
They are so close to Shevy and Standish high schools, Appley Bridge and Gathurst railway stations, local supermarkets, a real ale pub just round the corner M6 junction 27 a couple of minutes away and the Wrightington country
club not much further.
Lots of countryside walks and if your ever hungry theres lots of takaways selling all sorts of different food in Stnadish

If they can afford them Mick, which I doubt very much.

And , Mick, also lots of old mines in the area ???? A sign on the A49, not that far away, used to warn 'Road liable to subsidence'
Hmm, what a good idea to build houses in the area.

Mick.No adverts. Or I will move to Standish.

Young families??? Is there any room for kids to play on these new estates? No they go off and make trouble somewhere else.

Right on the top of what was Robin Hill drift mine,i was told by the ex manager of RHDrift that the workings of a drift mine could end up quite close to ground level,but the other houses on Robin Hill Drive, Pepper Lane etc dont seem to have caught any harm.

I assume test bores would have been carried out to determine the density and structure of the ground. Look nice houses though which is needed to cater for the many immigrants expected!

Bob, don't worry, according to the council when the 2000 houses are built in Standish there will only be a need for an extra 138 primary school places . Work that e out if you can.

How many more green spaces will they take away from us that is so-called designated "greenbelt" land, just a nice way of making us think the land is free from developing when it's not. Yes, I'd like to know how many people will be able to afford one of these no doubt hamster sized homes that you couldn't swing a cat in, certainly won't be the average working family earning a modest wage, more like some managing director with his/her fancy Porsche Carrera or brand new 4x4 on the drive earning 50 grand a year. A 1900s terrace house will have heaps more room than these jerry built modern houses they dare to class as family living spaces. It's shown that houses built today are becoming smaller and smaller; I've seen some new houses and they look absolutely tiny from the outside and they are barely a meter away from the next house. 3 and 4 bedroom homes sounds very appealing, but I wonder just how small those rooms will be? box redroom sized. And when people campaign to stop development like this they just get ignored. But most people aren't bothered anyway and will gladly welcome more houses, which is very sad.

There won't be any countryside left for folks to walk in Mick, it will soon be one massive housing estate taking in Gathurst, Shevington, Standish, Wrightington and Parbold, with a vast traffic gridlocked dual carrigeway running down the middle.

Al I think if you look at a greenbelt map you will find this is not GREEN BELT. It may be fields and in appearance be green but not GREEN BELT.

This site isn't green-belt, Al. It's difficult to see how an area which is hemmed in on all sides by existing housing could be designated as such. Given the mining which went on around this area it's probably designated as brownfield land, however green it may be now.
The green-belt around Standish can be seen here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenpolitics/planning/9708387/Interactive-map-Englands-green-belt.html#location=53.5855372%2C-2.6727822000000288

Using the same logic as above, however, it's difficult to understand why the area east of Standish, straddling the West Coast Main Line, which is the other area of future housing development in Standish, was not designated as green-belt.

Immigrants Jack?? they're already 200 yards from this pic. Loads of asylum seekers staying in the Britannia Hotel buckshee, courtesy of the government, plus £10 a day food vouchers. I have spoken to recent diners from there and they say THEY were ignored at times in favour of the asylum seekers.

The Rev is correct as the land with all the mining would be regarded as brownfield land. The simple fact is , with people living longer, more immigration and populations growing across the globe, we can either build tower blocks , use brownfield sites or build on the green belt. I don,t know anybody who wants the latter but what options do we have when people need a home to live in. This will always cause huge debate and discussion.. Concrete or green land.

If I remember rightly the houses in Pepper Lane where I used to live were never bothered and were very stable....my old house is still standing solid....be interesting to see how these new ones fare...just worked out where they will be...used to walk throurgh the pit car park on the way to St Maries primary school...cheers all!!!

Well it's some comfort to know it's not greenbelt, but greenbelt or not the land will just get trampled on by greedy developers. I do wish people would stop this nonsense about immigrants coming into the country and having this and that. Yes we have a mass immigration but that's part of the agenda of the powers that be (can't be bothered going into the details) who are using immigration as a deliberate problem to cause alot of hatred, no doubt so they can bring in another big brother privacy eroding law like I.D checks and so forth.

People have to live somewhere Wigan and its surrounding areas will eventually all be built on just like Manchester is today.

Al, I don't think an MD on 50k per year could afford a Porsche Carrera and I don't think he'd want to leave it parked in Standish even if he could.

With all this urban development planned, Wigan will be become as dense as Manchester and Liverpool. Soon areas will meet and there will be no green belt. Its happening in the south of England!

Absolutely Mick/Giovanni, but my question is to you and the forum, do Wiganwrs regard themselves as townies! The huge question constantly raised by the upper class is that townies do not know , appreciate or understand the management of green land.
As such the townies bring litter and a lifestyle that does not appreciate England green and pleasant land. Where do we separate what is green land and brownfield say in the Cotswalds? Should we then take every green space in Wigan. And deny them any green space to breathe whilst other have hundreds of acres? Open question guys

Great point Kal!
In and the south towns and cities are developed but villages left alone. Mind you look at the villages around Wigan that have been over-developed...Appley Bridge, Up Holland, Billinge just a few in point! Villages in the south don't get touched. Maybe MP's live there!

Giovanni, places like Wigan have always been regarded as industrial towns with mining etc. to create jobs more industrial sites are being built and houses for the towns people. The green land I played on as a child is now a mass of warehouses. Soon Wiganners will feel penned in like sheep and a visit the the green land of the countryside will be like a trip to the seaside of Southport and Blackpool. Does anyone know, Rev?
How many areas of natural beauty does Wigan have? For those who do not know these cannot be built on.

Surely Haigh Hall and surrounding areas will be protected. Hope so from a personal view point!

An MD earning +50k a year, with a Porche Carrera or Range Rover would have to live in Mawdesley. It is the law.

No new houses are allowed in snobby Mawdesley. Not surprising because most residents in this inbred Tory enclave are from the south of England and rich. Just goes to show how money can buy influence.

Personally I think this sort of development as in Standish should be stopped. There isn't the infrastructure to accommodate these new builds. Roads, sewerage, drainage public transport, health care, education is already stretched to the limit.

A bold approach is needed. A new town needs to be built. Would be funny to see all the Range Rover driving snobs in Mawdesley's reaction if this snob enclave was chosen as the site of a new town! Enough to make them choke on their foie gras and quail eggs!