New homes, green spaces and shops coming to Bolton town centre | News

We’re working with Developer Step Places and Bolton Council to transform 4.5 acres of a brownfield site in Bolton town centre. The Moor Lane development in Cheadle Square will feature 208 new homes, a mix of apartments and townhouses.

It’ll provide 82 affordable homes available for rent, shared equity and rent to buy. The other 126 homes will be a mix of private rented and open market sale. 

We’ll provide:

• 33 affordable rent apartments for people aged over 55
• 27 affordable rent apartments for general needs
• 11 houses for shared ownership
• 11 houses for rent to buy.

Step Places will provide:

• 104 market rent apartments
• 22 houses for open market sale.

The scheme will also bring enhanced green spaces and significant landscaping to the town centre, as part of Bolton’s Towns Fund deal. This will benefit residents and businesses, and create new retail units to complement the newly improved Bolton Market.

There’ll be three sites, the largest being the vacant bus station just off Moor Lane. A second site lies to the east of Blackhorse Street and south of the existing Bolton Job Centre and a third, smaller site, lies to the east of Blackhorse Street, and north of the job centre.

The whole development will also include new cycle paths and enhanced pedestrian routes.

Martyn Cox, Leader of Bolton Council, said: “These exciting plans for a major town centre brownfield site are starting to be built following extensive consultation with local residents. The Moor Lane development will bring much needed new high-quality homes, green spaces and public spaces to Bolton. The benefits this development brings to our town are great, both to boost our local economy and create a new neighbourhood in the heart of Bolton.”

Harry Dhaliwal, Managing Director of Step Places, said: “We’re excited to deliver a sustainable, high quality town centre development which will differentiate itself from other town centre developments by delivering modern three storey housing for a range of homeowners. Our scheme has been carefully embedded into the wider town centre master plan and will drive wider benefits for the residents and businesses of Bolton. The connectivity of the location will allow people to benefit from excellent public transport to the wider Greater Manchester boroughs making Bolton an area of choice for new homeowners."

Jon Lord, our Group Chief Executive, said: "Working in partnership with Step Places will allow us to deliver a unique offering to the people of Bolton. Delivering schemes across Bolton and the wider area gives us an understanding of what the housing needs are of the communities we work in.

“Our shared beliefs and principles have allowed us to design a scheme that will bring benefits beyond the initial bricks and mortar investment. Securing planning permission for the development and moving straight on to delivery is testament to the drive and ambition that we and Step Places have for creating a new benchmark in living standards with our joint philosophy securely planted in protecting and enhancing the environment.

“This new development, right in the heart of Bolton town centre is a real opportunity to regenerate and rejuvenate this key strategic location to create a new mixed tenure sustainable neighbourhood that we can all be proud of. Investing in new development opportunities strengthens our business and allows us to invest more in our existing stock as well.”

Moor Lane is one of six key intervention areas in the Bolton town centre masterplan, with the council establishing a £100m fund to acquire, clear and prepare town centre development sites capable of attracting private sector investment.

It’s part of a wider regeneration masterplan across Bolton that aims to improve public areas, green spaces, and multi-purpose opportunities, create a more attractive environment for everyone to enjoy, and regenerate Bolton in a sustainable way for future generations. 

Pictured left to right: Councillor Martyn Cox, Harry Dhaliwal, Jon Lord, Councillor Adele Warren (Executive Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Climate) and Paul Whittingham (Assistant Director Development and Regeneration at Bolton Council).

Since 2018, we’ve been working to create 1,400 new homes over a five year period through a mix of new-build development with contractors and acquiring new homes from private developers under section 106 agreements. This is providing a broad mix of homes for rent and some for shared ownership.

If you’re interested in any of our new build properties for rent, you would need to be registered with Homes for Bolton, eligible, and apply for them via the Homes for Bolton website when they're ready to be advertised.

Please click on the following link for more information on Homes for Bolton: www.homesforbolton.org.uk

We market our shared ownership properties under the name Stonecross Homes. For more information on Stonecross Homes, available properties and shared ownership, please visit: www.stonecrosshomes.co.uk

Working to provide the homes that people need.