Decision due on controversial land sale

A TOWN hall proposal to offload an area of open land that prompted a public outcry will be decided next week.

The plot, next to the Cherry Gardens pub on Wigan Lane, is subject to a long-term leasehold held by the council.

The arrangement restricts development on the site through a covenant that outlines it should remain a public garden.

The new owner of Cherry Gardens, New River Retail (NRR), has offered to buy the lease with a plan to develop a shop on the land, using the resulting revenue to invest in the pub. Since the proposal was made public earlier this year, the town hall has received 190 objections and campaign groups have been established.

The council’s cabinet will decide whether to follow through with the plan to sell the land at its meeting on Thursday, August 2. Objectors say the plot is part of the Wigan Lane Conservation Area and should remain as public open space ‘for the benefit of the community.’

And, because of its location close to a busy roundabout, the development could pose a road safety risk, they add.