RESIDENTS have voiced their disgust at an application to build hundreds of new homes in Leigh.

Wigan Council’s planning committee gave the green light for the application on land south of Walmsley Farm, off Green Lane in Leigh.

Persimmon Homes submitted plans to build 100 houses alongside outline plans to develop a further seven hectares of the land for another 300 homes.

Access to the site for traffic will be off Green Lane and once the building of the first 100 homes is complete, the Green Lane access will be closed and access will then be provided off Queensway.

But residents of Green Lane said that the proposed access road cannot take the added pressure of more cars and said it is already congested.

Resident Samantha Brown said: "Building 100 houses without much consultation — I've had nothing and I live in Green Lane — is bad enough, but with that, 100 to 150 plus cars will follow and the only entrance and exit is via Green Lane, which already gets congested.

"The inconvenience of having further excessive traffic is one thing, and that's bad enough, but Green Lane was never meant to take the weight that those cars will bring.

"Green Lane has collapsed a few times in the past because of the Pendleton fault and yet no other access roads are being considered.

"The consultation meeting was arranged for Monday, I only got a letter on Monday and the meeting was mid afternoon in Wigan.

"Mid afternoon on a Monday is a time when most people are working or heading out to collect children from school, thus deliberately making it difficult to attend. The whole thing is a disgrace."

The 400 houses will include properties of one to four bedrooms along with play areas, good quality landscaping and footpath links.

As part of Wigan Council’s Core Strategy, Leigh is identified as a principal area of development to encourage regeneration and meet housing needs.

Persimmon Homes will also contribute £900,000 for extra school places in the area and investment will be made to improve public rights of way so that residents will be easily connected to the nearby guided busway.

However resident Carole McCanna said the road was not wide enough for the project.

She said: "The street isn't wide enough for two big vehicles to pass each other. Where we live it's going to be horrendous. When the bin lorry is in the street, you either have to wait until it's gone or drive on the pavement to get past. How can this road take another 100 houses worth of cars?

"Nobody is objecting to the building of houses, it's the lack of thought for the access.

"I will take great pleasure in complaining every chance I get to the council."

Councillor David Molyneux, Wigan Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “Appropriate developments like this one will enable people to find the right homes to establish themselves and their family in the borough.

“Good quality new housing along with excellent transport links and employment opportunities provides the right mix to keep our local economy growing."