Moor Lane project in Bolton town centre 'nears completion'

The Moor Lane development ultimately aims to build more than 200 homes at the site of the old bus station in the town centre.

With apartment blocks visibly taking shape at the site, the project was further boosted by £500,000 of funding from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Bolton Council deputy leader Cllr Akhtar Zaman said: “I’m very much excited by the development, especially the development that is taking place on Moor Lane, on land that has been empty for many, many years.

“It’s good that you can now see this scheme really come to completion, I’m really looking forward to seeing this finished and bringing vibrancy to the town centre.”

The new homes will be finished soon (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Zaman, who also sits as the council’s cabinet member for regenerations said he hoped the Moor Lane scheme would dovetail with other developments around the town centre.

These include schemes Church Wharf, Deansgate Gardens and others which all aim to create more housing in the town centre.

Cllr Zaman said: “I think these will really help with regeneration of the town, bringing more people in, more businesses and more facilities.”

The scheme has been led by FSG Moor Lane Bolton Developments Ltd, a partnership between housing provider Bolton at Home and regeneration specialists Step Places. 

Work is underway (Image: Newsquest)

It was approved more than two years ago and will ultimately include more than 200 homes across four blocks of flat and 44 townhouses.

In February, Bolton Council’s planning committee approved cutbacks to the scheme that removed balconies from two of the block and replaced aluminium windows with UPVC.

This came after an increase in construction costs.

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But in March this year the Greater Manchester Combined Authority approved a £500,000 equity investment to Step Places for the third phase of the scheme.

This phase was aimed at creating 114 new homes for rent on brownfield land at Moor Lane.

A report said: “The scheme in located in the heart of Bolton town centre, which is currently in the process of major regeneration works funded by the Levelling Up Fund allocation alongside the investment in the former bus station site.

“It is proposed that GMCA provide a £500,000 equity investment in the PRS development, which will help unlock the third and final phase of a transformational housing scheme, in doing so underpinning the commitment already being made by GMCA through the Brownfield Housing Fund and Housing Investment Loans Fund.”