A vibrant new community at Gibfield Park

This consultation is seeking feedback on the revised framework masterplan for Gibfield Park and Phase One (Gibfield Meadows).

The revised framework masterplan sets out the long-term vision for how Gibfield Park could come forward over time. Earlier this year, Peel Land consulted on the draft framework masterplan. Following feedback received from the local community, particularly about the proposed employment space and its relationship with neighbouring homes, changes have been made to the proposals. Further feedback is now being sought before the revised framework masterplan is finalised.

Phase One (Gibfield Meadows) forms the first phase of the framework masterplan and includes outline proposals for up to 170 new homes on the eastern part of the site. Feedback is being sought on these outline proposals before submitting an outline planning application to Wigan Council. As the changes to the revised framework masterplan do not affect Phase One, it can continue to progress while consultation takes place on the wider plans for Gibfield Park.

You can provide feedback on both as part of this consultation.

Development at Gibfield Park is expected to come forward over time. Parcel 1 (Gibfield Meadows) is proposed as the first phase of development.

The revised framework masterplan identifies a number of development parcels for the remainder of the site. These are not intended to be delivered in a set order and could come forward independently of one another, subject to future planning applications, infrastructure requirements and market conditions.

The current framework masterplan identifies the following development parcels:

• Parcel 1 – up to 170 homes
• Parcel 2 – up to 40 homes
• Parcel 3 – up to 35,000 sq.m of employment floorspace, with the potential to include up to 100 homes and a local centre in place of some employment space.
• Parcel 4 – up to 280 homes

As proposals for each parcel are developed, they will be brought forward through separate planning applications and there will be further opportunities for public consultation.

Places for Everyone (PfE) Joint Development Plan document is a Plan for the whole of Greater Manchester which identifies key areas of growth across the city-region. It allocates a number of large sites for development that will contribute to Greater Manchester's growth, as well as setting guidelines for how they should come forwards. These sites were removed from the Green Belt and allocated for development in the Plan.

Gibfield Park is allocated for around 500 homes including affordable housing, around 45,500 sq.m of employment space in the southern part of the site and a Country Park. The land allocated for housing and new places to work has been removed from the Green Belt and the Country Park remains within it.

There is a national, regional and local need for more homes, including affordable homes. Like many areas across the country, Wigan is experiencing increasing demand for housing, making it more difficult for many people to access a home that meets their needs.

Wigan Council is required under national planning policy to plan for the homes the Borough is expected to need over the next 20 years. The adopted Places for Everyone plan identifies sites across Greater Manchester to help meet this need. Gibfield Park is one of these allocated sites, reflecting Atherton's accessibility and the range of local services and facilities already available.

Wigan Council is also preparing a new Local Plan, which will consider whether any additional sites are needed to meet future housing needs.

Allocating sites for development through a Local Plan helps ensure that growth is planned rather than happening in an ad hoc way. It also enables development to contribute towards strategic infrastructure, such as road improvements and the proposed Country Park, providing wider benefits for the local community.

An outline planning application establishes the key principles of a development, rather than the detailed design. It sets out matters such as the proposed land use, scale of development and access, while more detailed elements, including the layout, appearance and landscaping, are considered later through a separate planning application known as a reserved matters application.

An outline planning application also provides more detail than a framework masterplan. It must be supported by detailed technical assessments, such as highways, ecology, flood risk and drainage studies, to demonstrate that the proposals are suitable before a planning application can be determined.

The framework masterplan sets out a comprehensive, coordinated vision for the entire Places for Everyone allocated site (Gibfield Park), showing where new homes, new jobs, the public park and roads could be located and how the site could come forward over time. Changes have been made following the March 2026 consultation and a further consultation on the revised framework masterplan is now being undertaken before it is submitted to Wigan Council for approval.

At the same time, feedback is being sought on the outline proposals for Phase One (Gibfield Meadows) before submitting an outline planning application to Wigan Council. Progressing Phase One in parallel allows more detailed technical and environmental assessments to be undertaken for the first phase of development. This provides Wigan Council and other statutory consultees with the detailed information needed to assess how Phase One supports the wider framework masterplan.