Bolton backs bulldozing of Crompton Place
Only a single dissenting vote was cast as councillors confirmed the demolition of the 280,000 sq ft former shopping centre minutes from the chamber, clearing the way for its £200m revival.
Crompton Place’s near four-acre footprint has been chosen as the location for Bolton Council’s landmark mixed-use regeneration project.
The planned development has the capacity to deliver up to 340 homes, a 110-key hotel, 80,000 sq ft of office space, and 5,000 sq ft of ground floor leisure space.
Demolition will be complete in less than a year, by which point the council is expected to have chosen a development partner to bring forward a vision, having started the search in June.
As such, a full and approved regeneration plan for the site has not yet been brought forward.
Before casting 14 votes to one in favour of demolition, Bolton’s planning committee agreed that something needed to be done about the shopping centre, which, since its closure, has become a blight.
During the committee, Cllr Nick Peel, Leader of Bolton Council, said, “None of us can underestimate how massive this application is for Bolton town centre.
“We are meeting with and discussing with potential developers now.
“It shows that there is interest in this site, and there would be, it’s one of Britain’s biggest inner-town centre development sites.”
Cllr Peel said Crompton Place has “run its course” and the only other option would be to leave it, in a state he called “an arsonist’s dream”.
“Leaving it does not show confidence for this council in the market and does not demonstrate that we are absolutely sure that this is an attractive proposition.” He added.
“Demolishing it now shows that we are ready and we are serious.”
The work will take place between Victoria Square and Bradshawgate and is due to take at least 50 weeks.
Crompton Place was acquired from the Santander Pension Fund for £15m by Bolton Council in 2018 as it began to form a masterplan for its town centre.
In addition, the meanwhile use aspect of the application has also received consent, allowing parts of the cleared land to host pop-ups.
Let’s hope it makes Bolton Town Centre better than it is at the moment.
By Salford Born and Bred.
No one is coming to Bolton with £200m….
By Anonymous
Another nail in shopping coffin of bolton
By Anonymous
Replace the office space with residential and we’re golden.
By Anonymous
Oh dear! I fear the worse
By Anonymous
Bolton is a dead town just take a walk.
By Anonymous
Why stop at Crompton Place the rest is a dump gone are the days of a thriving Bolton with a fantastic Market
By Anonymous
Brilliant, Bolton needs a serious rebranding. No more 1 pound shops/ pawnshops/ betting parlours. The town center needs to be a place where people want to be. Add more urban greenery this time even just trees down the avenues makes it a lot more pleasant to be there. Bolton town centre needs to become a place where decent people want to spend time instead of the current hoodlums and drug dealers that linger about
By Anonymous
I wish they would consider this for Manchester’s Arndale Centre
By Anonymous
Your the ones causing a blight on the landscape. All praises to the one who had the sense to vote against it.
By Anonymous
A bold but brave attempt at regeneration. Business is taking a massive hit from the Government so hopefully it won’t end up like Walkden centre. A modern ghost town I side.
By Peter McGeehan
People need to stop confusing the state Bolton town centre with wider town.The town centre suffered from very bad council planning for decades leading to it becoming rundown.But the wider town has nicer suburbs than Manchester which never needed gentrification.Bolton has no shortage of wealth and a population over three hundred thousand the problem is that money is being spent elsewhere like Bury or Manchester.People conveniently forget that Bolton unlike Manchester had much more vibrant and successful centre in nineteen eighties with no rundown crime ridden areas that were common in Manchester.
By Mary Jones
Bolton was absolutely packed over the long weekend with the food festival attracting tens of thousands of people. The potential is there but there is a lot of work to be done to tidy up the town and get people back visiting on a regular basis.
By Nick