Bolton Council has set out an ambitious vision for the town centre and MCAU have developed plans for Central Street with the wider town centre framework in mind.

This project, on an underutilised town centre car park, is a key development opportunity identified in the council’s strategic plans. MCAU’s proposal is for four new blocks designed around a network of pedestrian priority streets with a reintroduced public square, private courtyards, communal and rooftop gardens.

The residential-led mixed-use development comprises 200 homes in a mix of family townhouses, young person’s apartments, elderly living accommodation, and commercial office space.

A ground floor of retail, café bars, and restaurants fronts onto Deansgate which is within a conservation area, and which links the development directly to the town centre.

In creating a new-build build-to-rent community of this nature, this project will show that town centre higher density can deliver a residential neighbourhood which can help to cultivate and bring a community together of differing ages.

The site’s northern boundary follows the River Croal, and riverside improvements are proposed as part of a wider plan to establish city wide pedestrian links along the river. This links the riverside walk directly into the heart of the town centre for the first time.