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Farnworth

The Greater Manchester Mayor’s Town Centre Challenge provided an opportunity to unlock Farnworth’s potential, to boost it’s economic and community value. A new vision for Farnworth has been developed focussing on the place, through the Farnworth town centre strategy and Masterplan reflecting the Bolton Vision 2030.

Farnworth Town Hall

Farnworth Town Centre Strategy and Masterplan

The council formally approved the new town centre Strategy for Farnworth and Masterplan on the 8th July 2019, following wide-scale consultation with residents and local stakeholders and businesses. The Strategy outlines target interventions and projects, with a masterplan framework for progress which demonstrates the economic benefits that will be generated.

The interventions include the creation of a new community and civic hub in the heart of the town centre, improved public realm, the redevelopment of the Market Precinct and an extension to the current leisure centre.

The Farnworth Town Centre Strategy will be delivered in phases over a number of years. The action plan, priorities, output measures and indicators have been developed and are being monitored annually and overseen by the Director of Place Development and Assistant Director Economic Development and Regeneration alongside members of the Farnworth town centre Steering Group.

Funding

In order to make the masterplan for Farnworth a reality Bolton Council needed to generate funding to support the strategy with the outcome at the end being the attraction of private investment to Farnworth.

Thanks to a successful Future High Street Funding Bid Bolton will receive £13.3m from the Government towards the transformation of Farnworth Town Centre into a vibrant, high quality place to live, work and visit. Work on site will start later this year.

Additional funding was approved by Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Members Committee for a £12m allocation from the £100m Town Centre Strategy Fund alonsgide £4m of funding from the 2019/20 Capital Programme.

The funding will be used to focus on;

  • the repurposing of vacant retail space into a mixed-use community of over 100 homes;
  • delivering a high quality, flexible community hub from which a range of services can be delivered;
  • new commercial floorspace to activate the town and deliver job opportunities;
  • a new public square and improved pedestrian and cycle connections;
  • delivering an extended and improved Leisure Centre to support health and wellbeing outcomes for the community.

““This is real progress for farnworth and what we’ve been waiting for. The delivery of the key development proposals in the masterplan is vital for Farnworth and the plans proposed by Capital & Centric are welcomed. Our ambition is to rejuvenate the town centre and bring in new community facilities for our residents. ”
Chair of the Farnworth Steering Group, Councillor Paul Sanders

£50m Development Plans for Farnworth Market Precinct

Bolton Council has also agreed a deal with social impact developer CAPITAL&CENTRIC and outline planning permission to redevelop the former market precinct in Farnworth town centre has been approved.

The stars of BBC2 documentary Manctopia have been consulting on its outline vision throughout the year and are planning to deliver 12 family homes which will sit alongside 82 apartments, as well as 2,200 sq m of new retail, commercial and communal space.

A new linear park is planned, providing a landscaped green hang out space for all local residents to enjoy alongside. A flexible indoor space for community uses will sit alongside spaces for local businesses to locate such as café bars and indie retailers. The developer is also planning a community pavilion which will be available to hire for events and is looking to create a bustling new public square which could become a new central destination for Farnworth to host artisan markets, live events, art galleries and pop-ups for foodies.

Find out more about their plans on our news pages.

Masterplans and Reports

Please find below copies Farnworth’s Masterplans and reports.

District Centre Info

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