News from Bolton at Home
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Bolton’s revitalised Cheadle Square re-opens as a better space
A historic public space in the heart of Bolton Town Centre has been officially reopened following the completion of a major £40m housing-led regeneration project.
Representatives from us, Bolton Council, and developer Step Places came together to mark the completion of the new ‘pocket park’ that has been created within Cheadle Square behind Le Mans Crescent.
The square, named in 1947 in honour of former Mayor of Bolton Frank Cheadle, was most recently used for car parking but has been revitalised as part of the Neighbourhood Moor Lane development.
Developed jointly by us, Step Places, and Bolton Council, Neighbourhood Moor Lane has regenerated the former bus station site with 214 new homes, which were completed in December 2024.
The revitalised square – which helps to link Bolton Market with the rest of the town centre – features new landscaping, tree and shrub planting, and benches, offering a space for people to stop, rest, and socialise.
It also complements the nearby Elizabeth Park, another pocket park that was also funded by Bolton Council with money from the Towns Fund and which opened in March 2024 on the site of the former Odeon cinema.
The two parks form part of a wider £7m investment to integrate the town’s urban public realm, helping to recreate the historic route between the town centre and Queen’s Park.
Harinder Dhaliwal, Managing Director of Step Places, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have collaborated with Bolton Council to deliver Cheadle Square - a new piece of public realm that serves as both a natural extension to Le Mans Crescent and a vibrant addition to Bolton town centre and the wider regeneration vision. We’re confident that its high-quality design and placemaking will bring lasting benefits to the community.”
Bolton Council Leader, Cllr Nick Peel, said: “The council has worked closely with our partners Step Places, Bolton at Home, and others, to transform this part of town into a community everyone can be proud of.
“Alongside much-needed new homes at Moor Lane, we’ve delivered the market Food Hall, a refurbished Central Library, and the Wellsprings Innovation Hub. But just as important as new buildings are places like Cheadle Square, and the nearby Elizabeth Park, which offer welcoming and accessible public spaces for everyone who wants to visit, work, and live in our town centre.”
Noel Sharpe, our Chief Executive Officer, added: “Cheadle Square was always intended to be an important part of Bolton’s public realm. We’re delighted to have played our role in returning it to a more open and vibrant space for use by Bolton residents and visitors.
“It’s an area that offers peace and tranquillity in the heart of the town centre and I know is already being enjoyed by our customers living nearby, as well as shoppers, workers, and other visitors to the town centre.”
In addition to homes developed for private homebuyers and renters, Neighbourhood Moor Lane also provides 82 new affordable homes for general needs rent, over 55s housing and rent to buy properties managed by us.
Frank Cheadle was Mayor of Bolton in 1928/29 and advocated for the space behind the town hall to be protected as an open space for the public, rather than being built upon. The square was named after him in 1947.
Pictured left to right are: Harinder Dhaliwal; Cllr Akhtar Zaman, Executive Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Deputy Leader of Bolton Council; Cllr Nick Peel, Leader of Bolton Council; Noel Sharpe, and Paul Philbin, our Assistant Director of Development and Homeownership.