I WANT to respond to an article on page 12 of the May 26 edition of the Journal regarding plans being submitted for a residential development in West Leigh, a continuation of the current Pennington Wharf development.

More than 150 people sent in feedback forms from the local area – Johnson Close/Norley Road/Thelwall Close/Common Lane/Jessica Way – stating their objections to this site.

That was in September and we heard nothing back until all the local residents received a letter stating that an outline planning application is going to be presented to the planning committee at their meeting in June.

Many residents are against this development for so many reasons and we only have a limited time to express these views before the planning committee meets.

Several, including myself, have sent letters expressing our concerns and views against this application but we feel it will go ahead no matter what we say as it is part of the government’s orders for councils to build hundreds of thousands of homes in the next few years.

In my letter to the planning committee I stated the following:

I have read that you have listened to our concerns and increased public landscaped areas and restricted road access.

The artist’s impression is very difficult to understand and to see where our property fits into this and doesn’t say anything about loss of all the wildlife this development will cause.

Also my concern, and the concern of many residents, is the noise and pollution that will be caused both by the construction of this site and the resulting numbers of cars travelling to and from this site.

The loss of wildlife is also a major concern.

I am also told by residents that when the original site was filled in with slag from the mines to enable the current slope down from the canal people and their properties were covered in fine black dust.

This will all be disturbed again if building work commences. Are you aware of this?

For anyone who lives in this area, they will know the traffic congestion in and around that Firs Lane/Wigan Road area is horrendous.

To even think about adding another arm to the roundabout is ridiculous and will cause even more traffic chaos for anyone wanting to go down this route.

With this development will come at least another 470 cars.

I also am worried about flooding being made worse by this site, as at the present time my garden and surrounding areas become easily waterlogged during heavy rain and take some time to drain away.

My property will be one of the lowest points behind this development and we have a high water table here.

At the base of the proposed development there is a water ditch, which is completely boggy ground. I am worried that this development will exacerbate this problem and cause more flooding at this lower level.

Also, as we are the lowest point I feel we will be overlooked by properties higher up towards the canal, losing our privacy.

I am also concerned about which schools the children will go to, and also local GPs are already oversubscribed, so where will these people find a GP?

I and several other local residents wish to know when the planning committee will be considering this application so that our concerns may be expressed during this meeting.

Graham Fish

Norley Road

Leigh