Bolton Council Approves 440,000-Sqm Wingates Masterplan as 6,000-Job Park Draws Traffic Backlash
Updated
Updated · Business Live · Jun 15
Bolton Council Approves 440,000-Sqm Wingates Masterplan as 6,000-Job Park Draws Traffic Backlash
3 articles · Updated · Business Live · Jun 15
Summary
Bolton council approved the West of Wingates masterplan, setting design rules for a major employment park near the M61 that is planned to deliver about 440,000 square metres of industrial and warehousing space.
Up to 6,000 jobs are tied to the scheme, and cabinet member Nadeem Ayub said the vote was about how to develop the already allocated site well, not whether it should be built.
Phase 1, next to the A6 on Chorley Road, won planning permission in January 2024 and is already under construction, with Harworth Group expected to submit applications for later phases in coming months.
Opponents warned the project would consume more than 400 acres of green fields and add thousands of daily vehicle movements, while councillors raised concerns that nearby motorway and Beehive roundabouts are already at capacity.
The masterplan follows the Places for Everyone allocation and an eight-week public consultation that ran from November 2025 to January 22, framing one of the UK's largest planned employment sites.