Bolton council has given the green light to a masterplan that will guide the development of one of the largest employment destinations in the country, located near the M61 motorway. The West of Wingates masterplan outlines criteria and design expectations for the massive site on the western edge of Westhoughton, which is expected to support up to 6,000 jobs once completed.
Key Details of the Development
The allocation provides for approximately 440,000 square metres of industrial and warehousing floorspace. Phase 1 planning permission for the project, situated next to the A6 on Chorley Road, was granted in January 2024 and is currently under construction.
During a Bolton council cabinet meeting, some councillors expressed 'significant concerns about the road network' around the site. One campaigner claimed the move would 'concrete Westhoughton over', with 'green fields dug up over the next few years and thousands of extra vehicles per day'.
Council's Vision for the Site
Executive member Nadeem Ayub described the masterplan as providing a framework for 'a high quality exemplar employment site'. He stated: "The decision on whether the site should be developed has already been made under the Places for Everyone plan. It has been allocated for employment use. The principle of development, the amount of floorspace was done after a full public consultation. This document is not a decision on whether to develop it's about how to develop well."
The document sets out a vision for a high-quality exemplar employment site and puts forward eight design principles that every future application will be tested against. It also protects landscape features and green corridors.
Concerns Over Traffic and Infrastructure
Horwich & Blackrod First councillor David Grant told the meeting: "It's good that we are creating jobs but the highway network always seems to take a backward step. Coming from a neighbouring ward I still have significant concerns about the road network, particularly the motorway roundabouts, the Beehive roundabout – all are at capacity, all are still being developed. There doesn't seem to have been any offer of improvements to those junctions. One minor accident or issue and the entirety of Horwich comes to a standstill. By adding a significant employment zone on the outskirts of that area will only add to people coming down the A6 and increasing the issues."
Campaigner's Reaction
David Wilkinson, a former councillor in Westhoughton for over three decades, reacted to the decision: "The decision means over 400 acres of green fields will be dug up over the next few years and thousands of extra vehicles per day. It's one of the biggest industrial estates in the country. Phase II was included in Place for Everyone passed by Bolton Council in March 2024, it also included the development of Hulton Estate by Peel. It also removed green belt protection for hundreds of acres on the Phase II site at Wingates making it easier to build. So the Labour, Tory and Independent councillors on Bolton council who voted for it, voted to concrete Westhoughton over."
Consultation and Next Steps
Bolton Council says it worked with developers, the Harworth Group, and various public bodies as part of the consultation, as well as councillors and MPs in and around Westhoughton to produce the masterplan planning document. An eight-week public consultation period ran from November 2025 to January 22 this year. Planning applications for the next phases of the West of Wingates development are expected to be submitted by Harworth Group in the coming months.
