Why we are considering a cumulative impact assessment (CIA) for off-licenses in our town centres
Councillor Dane Anderton, cabinet portfolio holder for economic development and regeneration, recently addressed a meeting of the full council and said:
There’s a growing concern and you hear it when you’re walking down your town centre, especially in Wigan and Leigh, around the growing number and concentration of off-licences and convenience stores.
We, as a council, have very little powers to curb this and do anything about it from a legal point of view. But we do have one thing in our armoury that I’m going to speak about today.
First, let me say; we want lots of businesses thriving in our town centres. We want family-friendly venues, we want cafes, bistros, bars and wider hospitality offers to come to our town centres and take those vacant shops and turn them into something that’s very productive.
We want to support them whether for the evening and afternoon economy or later in the night-time economy.
But there are concentrations of convenience stores, far too many in a very small space in our town centres. This goes against our aim to create a diverse mix of businesses in our town centres.
I will be instructing the assistant director for infrastructure and regulation to examine the grounds for a cumulative impact assessment solely for off-licences in Leigh and Wigan.
Should this be possible and viable, this will then change the legal mechanism from where it currently stands that if you are looking for a licence to open an off-licence that you are presumed approved.
If we get this assessment, you are presumed not approved and therefore must convince us in a committee that your licence should go through.
I’m very positive that this is something that we have in our arsenal that we can use but also promote wider diversity of businesses and offers in our town centres.
This is not about hospitality; this is purely about off-licences and convenience stores.
Posted on Monday 3rd August 2026