Lee Hall Proposals — Benefits for Westhoughton
The proposals for Lee Hall will deliver a wide range of benefits for Westhoughton - and we are ready to start bringing them forward. The site provides an appropriate and sustainable location for growth.
At the heart of the plans is the long-awaited Park Avenue link road, helping to ease congestion at the Chequerbent roundabout and Junction 5 of the M61. Alongside this, the scheme will create:
Business and Industrial Space (Lee Hall North)
Around 25,000 square metres of employment space, creating opportunities for local businesses to grow and bringing new jobs and long-term economic benefits.
New Homes (Lee Hall South)
Up to 1,450 new homes, including affordable and family housing.
Community Facilities
A new primary school, a 70-bed care home, health facilities, neighbourhood retail opportunities, and a community centre, designed to provide essential services for local people.
Public Park and Green Space
A major new public park for Westhoughton, alongside allotments, and open spaces for recreation. The plans include improvements to local footpaths and public rights of way, with new trails and cycle paths to make the area more accessible and better connected.
New Road Infrastructure (Park Avenue)
The critical new link road will connect key routes through the area and help ease congestion at Chequerbent Roundabout. Full details are provided for the northern and central sections, with the southern section to follow.
Together, these proposals will create a thriving new community with housing choice, affordable homes, schools, health services, retail units, community spaces, parks and other green spaces, and active travel routes - all designed to help people live, work and thrive locally.
The plans also include the employment site at Junction 5 of the M61, allocated in Places for Everyone (PfE), which will bring new jobs and opportunities for local businesses.
New Homes at Lee Hall
The proposals for Lee Hall include up to 1,450 new homes, with a mix of family housing and affordable homes. These will provide more choice for local people, help address a growing housing shortage, and create opportunities for people to stay in or move to Westhoughton.
The development will help Bolton meet its housing needs, which are set to increase in the coming years as the new Government’s requirements are implemented. Research conducted locally shows a significant shortfall of new homes across Bolton, which are impacting on community wellbeing and prosperity, and there is an imperative to address this now.
Community Benefits of Lee Hall
Lee Hall will provide a range of new facilities and green spaces to benefit the people of Westhoughton. Key features include:
- A major new public park, one of the largest in Westhoughton, with potential facilities which could include a pump track, skateboarding area, splash park, and inclusive sensory and natural playgrounds for children and young people.
- Community facilities, including a hub building for local clubs, charities, and youth groups.
- Potential for a new primary school.
- A 70-bed care home.
- Health facilities.
- New allotments.
- Improved public rights of way and c.6.4 km of cycleways to increase access to nature and support healthy lifestyles.
- Opportunities for public art, co-designed with local artists, schools, and community groups.
These facilities aim to create a thriving, connected, and inclusive community that supports people to live, work, and enjoy the area.
Park Avenue
The Lee Hall development will finally enable the delivery for residents of Bolton and Wigan much-needed and long-mooted transport investment in a new link road relieving congestion at the Chequerbent roundabout and Junction 5 of the M61.
A link road was first identified in the 1960’s, has been through several iterations since then, but remains undelivered, and traffic congestion continues to get worse.
The Park Avenue link road will connect M61 Junction 5 and the A58 Snydale Way, around the east side of Westhoughton, reducing local congestion throughout Westhoughton and improving transport links across the wider region.
Park Avenue is a critical part of the strategic M6-M61 link road which forms the spine of the NorthFold growth location and will help to facilitate significant housing and employment growth.
The Lee Hall proposals will enable Park Avenue to be delivered without restriction.
The design has refined into a straighter and shorter route, which will be simpler and more cost-effective to deliver, with further traffic-reducing benefits, and responding to public feedback from previous design iterations.
This will deliver reduced journey times significantly with transport assessments confirming that saving in journey time on the approach to Chequerbent roundabout from the westbound M61 in the evening peak hour = around 6 minutes per vehicle.
Local Business & Economic Growth
Lee Hall offers an important opportunity to support the growth of local industrial and manufacturing businesses. We are in discussions with local businesses to explore how their growth could be supported through these proposals.
Local research highlights a shortfall of employment opportunities across Bolton, which is affecting community prosperity. Lee Hall will help address this need by providing space for new businesses and supporting local economic growth.
Furthermore, Lee Hall is expected to support approximately 180 construction jobs during construction and generate around £145 million in Gross Value Added (GVA), of which £110 million will directly benefit Bolton.