A council row has erupted over plans to build giant warehouses in the heart of a small town.
Local residents in Atherton – located between Bolton and Wigan – are furious following proposals to build a series of warehouses at the heart of their small town.
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Not only would these buildings be, in places, less than 30 metres away from some residents’ homes, but also up to 90 feet high from road level.
Moreover, they’re planned for what is known locally as Gibfield Park – an 80-hectare area of greenbelt land, which is also recognised as ‘rare wetland’, and is home to many species of animals.
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Speaking exclusively to GB News, local councillor for Atherton South and Lilford, Martin Farrimond says the council are “not listening.”
He added: “For me, it’s just totally unnecessary. Within our area already, within a five-mile radius of where we’re standing, we’ve already got a million square feet of available warehousing.
“It’s like a vanity project by the powers that be, in my opinion, at Wigan Council, just to build, build, build.”
Alongside the warehouses, the plans also include 550 new homes to be built on the green belt at Gibfield.
When asked about accusations of NIMBY-ism, Councillor Farrimond explained that they aren’t against development – they just feel it should happen in appropriate places, such as the multiple brownfield sites also located around Atherton.
Furthermore, there are also several housing developments already underway in the town, set to create almost one thousand new homes.
It was Wigan Council who initially raised the proposals back in 2024. However, following major backlash from locals and a petition signed by more than two and a half thousand people, this week they released a statement to say they “oppose” building on greenbelt land.
In fact, Councillor Paul Kenny, even went as far as to say: “With Gibfield, we simply do not believe the proposals are appropriate and we will make that clear through the consultation. The masterplan requires the council’s approval and we cannot support it.”
However, as of right now, the plans have yet to be formally withdrawn.
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Moreover, following national backlash towards the council allowing the construction of 60-foot-tall warehouses in Astley – just five miles away from the proposed site in Atherton – Wigan’s local authority said they had “learned” from what had happened.
Martin Farrimond commented on this, saying: “They’ve destroyed people’s lives (in Astley); it’s like they’ve had a bereavement.
“Me, as the local councillor for this area, I don’t want this happening to my constituents.
“I’ve seen the pain within these people’s eyes, a few miles down the road, and I don’t want that pain in these people’s eyes here”
At a small roadside gathering with banners and placards, locals gathered this week to try and raise support.
It was immediately obvious this is a cause close to people’s hearts, as they were immediately greeted with cheers and beeps of support from passing cars.
Speaking to GB News, residents spoke out about the terror they have if these plans were to go ahead.
One described needing the land “for future generations”, criticising the government for it “slowly disappearing.” She said, “they don’t do it where they are. They do it where it doesn’t affect them. And I don’t think it’s fair.”
Another resident outlined the potential impacts: “The traffic, the noise, the pollution, the wildlife… it would be absolutely horrendous for us.”
A third commented on the direct impact on the mental health of residents, saying, “you can already see people getting really stressed out about it… it’s just not fair, ethically or morally.”
Another huge concern for the locals is the impact this would have on the native flora and fauna that call Gibfield Park their home.
Chair of the Gibfield Park Preservation Group, Amanda Coleman, told GB News that, if the plans go ahead, “we’re going to lose everything.”
She added: “We’ve got owls, bats, deer… a nationally significant population of Great Crested Newts.
“And all of this is going to be wiped out… all of it is going to disappear for concrete.”
Amanda lives behind the proposed site, and described how, if carried out as intended, the warehouses would be three times the height of her home. She said she’s “terrified” of how this would affect the lives of everyone in the area.
GB News has approached Peel Land, the would-be site developer, for comment.
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