The borough of Bolton is changing at a fast pace.
A key part of the council’s regeneration plan is to attract more people to live in the town centre, shifting focus away from retail to provide a mix of residential developments, as well as leisure and hospitality. Developers continue to table plans for schemes that catch the eye and promise to bring new homes, leisure and medical facilities to the borough.
Below are are some of the key projects that could transform the town in 2025 and beyond.
New town centre neighbourhood at Moor Lane
Work is nearly finished at the Moor Lane development. The completed project will have 218 apartments and townhouses, including 82 affordable homes, as well as commercial units and green spaces.
Townhouses at the Moor Lane development
The main development site at Moor Lane occupies brownfield land on the former bus station footprint, with two smaller plots located either side of the job centre. The development is being delivered by Step Places, working with social housing provider Bolton at Home and Bolton Council.
Virgin plan direct train services from Bolton to London Euston
Train operator Virgin has begun the process of bringing a direct rail service from Bolton and Horwich to London Euston. The company lost the West Coast mainline inter city franchise in 2019 after 22 years to current operator Avanti. However, Virgin Group has started the process towards bringing their brand back to the railways, applying to the Office of Rail and Road for four Open Access rail paths with an aim to get services running by the end of 2025.
Under this type of license, Virgin would not receive any state subsidies and assumes the risk of running a rail service itself. In contrast, a franchised operator holds a contract with the government to run the route.
Virgin plan direct trains from Bolton to London
The route planned would be a service beginning at London Euston and calling at Nuneaton, Stoke, Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly. The trains would then progress north stopping at Bolton, Horwich and Chorley before ending at Preston.
New homes at Central Street
Central Street is a £35m regeneration project which will see part of Bolton town centre undergo a huge transformation. Build-to-rent developer Placefirst has changed the brownfield site into a new neighbourhood offering a mixture of apartments and town houses for long-term rent.
The Central Street development in Bolton town centre is nearing completion
The scheme involves the construction of 111 apartments across two distinct blocks, along with 56 townhouses. The development is designed around a network of pedestrian priority streets, a spacious square, courtyards, rooftop terraces and residents’ private and communal gardens. Existing roads within the site will be upgraded as part of the scheme.
Works also include the construction of a car park to the north of the townhouses, for the private use of residents.
A new £19m congestion busting link road is set to open ‘in the Spring’
A long-delayed £19m road designed to ease traffic in a notoriously congested town is set to open in the spring. The 1km Rivington Chase link road in Horwich will further connect the town to the huge Middlebrook retail park and Bolton Wanderers’ Toughsheet Stadium.
It will also provide a spine route for the developing area of new housing and commercial property being built on the huge former Horwich Loco Works site. The masterplan for the site will see around 1,700 homes built in phases and there is around four hectares of employment land planned in the south east corner of Rivington Chase to create new job opportunities.
Picture taken by principal contractors D Morgan of enabling works at the former Horwich Locomotive Works site (D Morgan PLC)
It is also hoped the new road will divert heavy traffic from Chorley New Road and the Beehive roundabout, often congested areas which have caused delays and frustration for motorists in the area for years. The potential opening date for the road was published in a Greater Manchester Combined Authority scrutiny committee report on ‘Delivering the Bee Network’.
The report detailed changes to bus services serving Horwich once the new transport link is opened. The report said: “The 576 service will also be re-routed to serve Middlebrook once a new spine road providing a link between Horwich and Middlebrook opens in Spring, 2025.”
Demolition and redevelopment of Crompton Place
The shopping mall is due to be demolished as part of redevelopment of the town centre. Bolton’s Crompton Place was described as an ‘underused and unappealing building’ by Bolton Council’s leader Nick Peel.
Its demolition could lead to a £300m transformation of the area, creating housing alongside shops, the council said. Built in 1971, Crompton Place was bought by the council in 2018.
The authority then enabled leaseholders to relocate so demolition work could start. After a negotiation earlier this year, Marks and Spencer agreed an early termination of its lease for its empty store, unlocking the greater project.
Coun Peel said it was “an opportunity to replace an underused and unappealing building with something everyone in Bolton can be proud of”. The anchor Primark store has also moved to the Market Place shopping centre.
The demolition of Crompton Place will provide direct links from Victoria Square to Bradshawgate. Mr Peel said: “This will be our flagship redevelopment project, signalling to the private sector that Bolton Council is serious about regeneration and thereby attracting even more commercial investment.”