Our Borough is at the heart of the North West, a region of seven million people. We’re mid-way between Manchester and Liverpool, in the centre of the Trans-Pennine region which stretches from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. It’s bigger than some European states!
Wigan lies on the West Coast Mainline railway from South to North and is a large railway hub within the region. It’s close to four motorways: M6, M61, M58 and M62 offering easy access to major cities and airports, a factor which has attracted many businesses into the area, particularly in retail distribution.
Well Connected Workers!
Every day over 30,000 people travel out of the Borough to work elsewhere in the North West, such as Liverpool or Manchester. Wigan’s workforce can reach most parts of the region easily, and the Borough offers incomers a relatively low cost of living.
So Wigan takes a stronger regional role every time there’s a major development in the North West. Whether it’s at Omega in Warrington, Salford Quays or Preston Docks, people from Wigan go to work there and people who work there come to live in Wigan.
The Wider Picture - there are various initiatives across the region which will have positive implications for Wigan in the years to come:
The Northern Way
This a new plan to help the North-East, North West and Yorkshire (15 million people) to create thriving and sustainable communities, “where people want to live, not leave.” It will:
- help long-term unemployed and those on incapacity benefits
- replace low-demand, poorly maintained housing stock
- create quality transport links across the North of England
Local Transport Plan for Greater Manchester
We want Wigan to play a key role in helping to reshape local transport policy and practise across the county.
Regional Strategy
Work has started across the North West - unifying local economic, housing, transport and planning goals into a single overall strategy. This focuses on the needs of the region as a whole - but also highlights areas for special consideration .
For Wigan in particular this should mean more inward investment and improvements to transport infrastructure as well as more affordable new housing.
Living with the Neighbours
The concentration of skills and business in these major cities will have a big impact in shaping the future and economy of the whole North West, including Wigan Borough.
Manchester is a key knowledge centre of the North, with one of the biggest and most respected universities anywhere in Europe. It is also a key centre for economic activity, media, the arts and corporate business, with a major international airport providing easy links world-wide.
Liverpool is a city with a proud history, but it faces many inherent problems. It will be the European City of Culture in 2008, a status which will attract major investment, as well as the media spotlight, laying the foundations of a new cultural heritage upon which the city can build.
