Consent granted for Rivington Chase affordable homes 

Developer Lane End Group has been given permission to build 116 homes at the former Horwich Loco Works in Bolton, part of Bluemantle Group’s £262m redevelopment.

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the project, which features a mix of 78 one- and two-bedroom apartments, and 38 two-, three-, and four-bedroom family houses. 

The homes are to be managed by two social housing providers, Bolton at Home and Irwell Valley Homes, and are scheduled to complete by February 2024. 

Rivington Chase is a regeneration scheme on the site of the former locomotive works in Horwich, an industrial complex that first opened in 1886 and once housed the erecting shop of the former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

Avison Young is the planning consultant of the scheme and Paddock Johnson is the project’s architect. Cass Associates drew up the masterplan for the wider 187-acre site. 

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “Making sure that our residents have affordable places to live is a key priority for the council and an important consideration when we put forward the old Horwich Loco Works for redevelopment.” 

Richard Harrison, Lane End Group managing director, said: “This decision means it is full steam ahead for our social enterprise Lane End New Beginnings, which works with not-for-profit organisations and those in need of support. 

“We know how important the former Loco Works are to the local community, so I’m pleased that we are able to provide the area with much needed affordable homes that also commemorate the site’s iconic heritage”.  

In March, plans were unveiled for two heritage assets, the Millwrights Shop and Pattern Makers building, to be repurposed as a venue – featuring a community health and well-being centre, and a food and drink hall – and 166-space car park respectively.  

Once complete, Rivington Chase will comprise 1,700 homes.