Planners approve giant wet wipe factory

US wet wipe manufacturer Nice-Pak International and Liberty Properties have secured planning permission for a 400,000 sq ft factory at Westwood in Wigan.

Nice-Pak already has 150 staff at a factory in Hindley but needs to expand and has Regional Growth Fund backing. The move will create a further 100 jobs.

The Westwood site was once occupied by a power station but now has outline planning consent for 450 homes and detailed planning for a £21.5m highway scheme.

Wigan Council has previously said the Nice-Pak scheme will be the biggest building ever constrcuted in the borough.

Liberty’s development director Emyr Williams said: “We were very impressed with the professionalism and proactive approach taken by Wigan Council’s team, who worked extremely hard to help deliver this significant inward investment and achieve the occupier’s requirements. They did exactly as they had said they would do and we certainly would like to promote further opportunities in Wigan, which is certainly open for business.”

Councillor David Molyneux, deputy leader of Wigan Council, said: “This is a fantastic start to 2015 for the economy of Wigan Borough. That a successful business already based here is expanding in the borough in such an ambitious way shows Wigan is an attractive place to build and grow a business.”

The applicants were advised by commercial agent JLL.