A bid for government cash to bring into use the former Bolton Debenham’s store and open a ‘high end’ hotel and conference centre next to the town hall has been submitted. Bolton has submitted two bids to the government’s Levelling Up Fund, seeking a total of £40m to transform the town centre and improve the borough’s transport links in the area close to the Middlebrook retail park.
The bids are in addition to the already successful application for £20m to build the new Bolton College of Medical Sciences at th etown’s hospital site. The three town centre regeneration projects if successful would create a hotel and conference complex, deliver a re-imagined Market Place shopping centre, and open up a historic heritage quarter.
Bolton Council, with the support of Bolton North East MP Mark Logan, have created the bid is part of the wider £1bn masterplan for the regeneration of the town centre. The first scheme would see the under-used southern side of Le Mans Crescent converted into a high-end hotel operated by IHG, an internationally recognised brand.
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This would be complemented by adding conference facilities to the neighbouring Albert Halls. A further project would see a new layout for Market Place including a public space with the addition of a courtyard under the building’s skylight.
The building would be opened up so pedestrians can walk directly between the existing main entrance and a new entryway on St George’s Road. Work would also focus on the former Debenhams unit to create new community, leisure, music, and sport facilities.
The third development would open up the historic area around Mawdsley Street while improving connections between Nelson Square and the rest of the town centre. More open space would be created by demolishing the unused NHS building in Victoria Square with future potential for a small public green space.
Bolton Council leader, Coun Martyn Cox, said: “As shopping habits change, we want to move the town centre away from a focus on retail towards more leisure, hospitality and employment space. This bid would allow us to maximise the grant money available by delivering three distinct projects while also protecting and enhancing some of Bolton’s best heritage assets.
“In the meantime, other regeneration schemes are progressing well including improvement works to the library and market via the Towns Fund.”
Mark Logan MP said: “This bid preserves the best of what Bolton already has to offer whilst diversifying our high street – reinventing a new town centre fit for 21st Century shopping and lifestyle habits.
“Boltonians will reap the rewards for many generations to come. I’ll continue to bang the drum in Westminster to secure as much funding as possible to make the plans Bolton’s new reality.”
Tim Vaughan, CEO of Moorgarth Group Limited, which runs the Market Place, said: “This submission is testament to how the public and private sectors can pull together to design an integrated and innovative proposition. Bringing a focus of performing arts and music into the town centre to complement and support the existing offers is a huge step forward to re-invigorating the town centre and its position as a destination to the wider region.
“The cultural and community benefits of this proposal should restore real pride into the town centre.”
The second bid would secure funding for improvements in traffic capacity at the Beehive Roundabout, the Spirit of Sport Roundabout, the A6 De Havilland Way Roundabout and at Junction 6 of the M61.
The council has worked with Bolton West MP Chris Green to bring forward the proposal which would improve connectivity in this key part of the borough.
The area suffers from significant travel delays at peak times and the council said the proposals aim to address this issue and prevent further congestion in the future.
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