Peel refreshes £240m Hulton Park vision 

The developer is drawing up a revised application for the 138-acre Bolton scheme in response to public opposition and aims to deliver a scheme that “better reflects local aspirations”. 

Bolton Council approved the £240m project – which features proposals for a Ryder Cup golf destination – in March 2018 despite fierce opposition.  More than 1,000 letters of objection were registered against Peel L&P’s plans to redevelop the historic Hulton Park Estate. 

Following council approval, the project was then called in by the Secretary of State and ultimately given the green light. However, the developer has now revisited its proposals. 

“Following the Government’s approval in July last year, we have taken the time to reflect on feedback received from the local community and our project partners,” said Richard Knight, Peel L&P’s director of land and communities. 

“We recognise the importance of access to the Hulton Park Estate and our refreshed vision aims to ensure that local people are able to enjoy the park in a way they have never been able to and for generations to come.” 

The developer claims the project has the potential to boost the national economy by £1.2bn overall. The original scheme featured a luxury golf course capable of hosting the Ryder Cup in either 2031 or 2034, as well as 1,036 homes and a 142-bedroom hotel with conference and spa facilities housed on the site where the old Hulton Hall had been.

Under fresh plans now out for consultation, Peel L&P has tweaked its Hulton Park plans, hoping to deliver additional benefits for the local area by increasing public access to the estate, creating new walking and cycling routes, and constructing additional community facilities including a health and wellbeing centre and a community food and drink hub called Chequerbent Barns. 

A health and wellbeing centre is proposed under the refreshed plans

The number of homes on the Green Belt portion of the site has also been scaled back in response to local opposition. Peel L&P said the exact number has yet to be confirmed, but the scheme is likely to still deliver 1,200-1,300 homes across the whole site. Under the revised masterplan, more Green Belt is to be retained as parkland for the benefit of the local community and environment. 

More accommodation for tourists and visitors is to be incorporated into the plans to complement the proposed luxury hotel, the developer added. 

Additionally, a new avenue is to be created to the west of Hulton Park, providing a direct link from Junction 5 of the M61 through the estate towards Atherton, intended to provide access to the new scheme while also helping to ease congestion in Westhoughton.  In addition, a primary school is proposed, whereas the previous plans only incorporated contributions to local education provision. 

“Local knowledge is invaluable to us and will ensure that we can refine and deliver something very special for the local area,” the developer said.  

 A public consultation has launched, which will run until Wednesday 23 June. 

The architects working on the project include:  Parkinson Inc (masterplan); LUC (landscape); European Golf Design (golf course); Hope Architects (residential); Leach Rhodes Walker (hotel clubhouse); Frank Whittle Partnerships (community facilities), and Falconer Chester Hall (main hotel).

The £240m scheme was given Government approval last year