Major expansion plans around Bolton Wanderers’ stadium including 200 new apartments, new sports facilities, and a hotel, linked to road developments, have been approved.

The plans have been in the pipeline for nearly a decade having first been lodged in 2013 and were finally approved at a meeting of Bolton Council last Thursday.

Under the plans a 'grand arc' of seven new buildings and a restructured west stand with space 3,000 square metres of including hospitality areas and administration facilities built at the Unibol stadium will be linked to a'levelling up' bid for £20million of funding to improve roads along De Havilland Way.

Speaking at a planning committee meeting, Conservative Cllr Andy Morgan said: “I think all these developers working together and they have done over the years, have brought massive improvements to the Middlebrook area.

“So you can look at it in isolation, look at it together, chicken and egg.”

The Bolton News:

Labour’s Cllr Nick Peel also supported the plan, saying that he understood the levelling up fund bid would be '“greatly enhanced and strengthened by this being approved'.

When first lodged, the plans had provoked objections from people worried about the increase in traffic in the area who were particularly concerned about proposals for new educational facilities and student accommodation.

But according to Cllr Morgan, the developers have indicated that the updated proposals are unlikely to now include these aspects.

The 'grand arc' will include space for sporting and leisure facilities with food and drink outlets, while elsewhere a new sports building will be linked to the Arena building and feature sports halls, tennis courts, changing rooms, with an indoor football pitch.

The Bolton News:

The restructured west stand will provide up to 3,000 square metres of including hospitality areas and administration facilities.

But Horwich and Blackrod Independents Cllr David Grant argued a new application should have been submitted.

He said: “The environment has changed significantly since 2014, I also have serious concerns about the retail element, there appears to have been no indication or assessment as to what effect this will have on Horwich town centre shopping which is already on its knees.”