Bolton Council expects to make £2.5M in SAMP land sales

In recent years Bolton Council has sold off land across the borough through the Strategic Asset Management Plan, known as SAMP.

But questions were raised at the council last week over the apparent slowing of land sales since the previous Conservative administration was replaced by Labour in May 2023.

Cllr David Wilkinson, of Westhoughton South, said: “There was quite a substantial figure earmarked in the proposals.

“I don’t think we ever got to the £8M a year from it and sometimes it raised a little bit of controversy to say the least, which I did say would happen.”

Bolton Council officials expect to raise around £2.5M from SAMP land sales this year (Image: Newsquest)

He added: “Since the change of administration some of us have noticed there doesn’t seem to have been much progress with SAMP.”

A previous batch of SAMP sales in February 2023 saw 12 sites across Bolton put up for sale under the council’s previous Conservative administration.

These included a car park, garages, two properties and an old pub, as well as various patches of open land.

The following September the council, by then under the current Labour administration, put three further patches of land up for sale.

The land is found off Avenue Street in Halliwell, Cotton Street, also in Halliwell, and Roxalina Street in Great Lever.

At a full meeting of Bolton Council last week, Cllr Wilkinson asked if the authority still planned to sell further land despite the apparently slowing process.

He also asked if councillors for each area would still be involved in potential sales and if there would be no sales by auctions which exclude ward councillors from being involved.

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In response, council cabinet member for regulatory services and property said that since September last year the authority had raised around £1.5M from SAMP sales.

She said the process would not be “dialled down” and that officers estimated that they would raise around £2.5M over the current municipal year.

Cllr Haworth said: “The corporate property team have been moving forward on them and I will provide you with assurances that elected members, not just you, everyone will continue to be involved.”

She added: “While the focus of officers has been on implementing disposals previously approved, the team have also been drawing up possible future disposals that could form the next few phases to proceed under SAMP.”