Satisfying the Housing Shortage

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The redevelopment of Winstanley Hall has been carefully designed to address one of the most pressing issues facing the Wigan area and the wider region: the shortage of quality family and affordable housing. By combining the sensitive restoration of a historic landmark with the creation of a new, sustainable residential community, this project directly supports both local and national housing priorities.

A Site Chosen for its Location and Connectivity

The proposed development site has been chosen for its strategic position on the edge of an existing urban area, allowing it to integrate naturally with the established community. This location provides a seamless extension to Winstanley’s current layout, connecting new and existing residents through well-planned roads, pathways, and green spaces.

One of the site’s key advantages is its excellent transport connectivity. Situated within close proximity to the M6 motorway, the area benefits from fast and efficient links to major towns and cities across the North West. This makes it an ideal location for families, professionals, and key workers who need access to employment hubs while still enjoying a peaceful residential setting. Public transport routes and local amenities are also easily accessible, ensuring that the development is both convenient and sustainable.

A Site with Minimal Environmental and Physical Constraints

Unlike many potential housing sites, the land surrounding Winstanley Hall presents very few ecological or physical constraints. Environmental assessments have confirmed that development can proceed without significant disruption to local wildlife or habitats. The project’s landscape-led design ensures that natural features such as existing trees, hedgerows, and ponds are retained and enhanced wherever possible.

This allows for the creation of a balanced and environmentally responsible community, where new homes coexist with green spaces, biodiversity corridors, and recreational areas. The site also benefits from suitable topography and existing access routes, reducing the need for major infrastructure changes and minimising construction impact.

All of the land required for the proposed housing, infrastructure, and enabling works is within single ownership, making this a highly deliverable and well-coordinated project. This unified control ensures that the masterplan can be delivered in full, maintaining design consistency and achieving the shared objectives of heritage preservation, community benefit, and environmental responsibility.

Having the site under one ownership also allows for efficient planning and implementation, ensuring that restoration of the hall, creation of public spaces, and delivery of new homes progress together as a single, well-managed scheme.

Meeting Local and National Housing Needs

There is a clear and growing shortage of family and affordable housing in Wigan and the surrounding areas. The Winstanley Hall development directly responds to this need by offering a diverse mix of 396 new one- to five-bedroom homes, including a proportion of affordable housing to ensure accessibility for people from a range of income levels.

This mix will support local families, first-time buyers, and older residents, while also creating opportunities for those currently priced out of the housing market. By delivering high-quality homes in a desirable location, the development will help to ease local housing pressures and contribute to the wider goal of balanced community growth.

At a national level, the project aligns with the Government’s ambition to build 1.5 million new homes within the next five years. The Winstanley Hall site represents a sustainable and deliverable way of meeting this target, using available land efficiently while protecting the character and heritage of the area.

A Balanced Vision: Heritage and Housing Together

What makes this development unique is its ability to combine heritage restoration with modern housing delivery. The regeneration of Winstanley Hall provides the enabling framework to fund the preservation of a Grade II* listed building that would otherwise face irreversible decline. At the same time, it offers much-needed housing and community infrastructure for local people.

By selecting this site, the development ensures that both objectives—saving a historic landmark and addressing the housing shortage—can be achieved in harmony. This integrated approach supports the long-term sustainability of Winstanley, creating a place where history, homes, and community coexist successfully.

The Winstanley Hall development demonstrates how careful planning and forward-thinking design can help meet housing demand while protecting local identity. It is a development that provides practical answers to modern challenges: supporting national housing goals, meeting local needs, and safeguarding one of Lancashire’s most important historic sites for generations to come.

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