Central Street, Bolton

Place First

The site is a topographically complex area located on the Northern edge of the town centre and directly adjacent to the town hall complex. It is bounded by Deansgate to the south and the River Croal to the north. It is located within the heart of Bolton town centre five minutes from local amenities such as the Town Hall, Le Mans Crescent, Bolton Museum, The Octagon Theatre, Victoria Square and the Market Place Shopping Complex; the site is also 10 minutes’ walk to Bolton train and national rail services. The site provides direct links to the town’s inner ring road and national motorway networks beyond.

The site area is circa 0.81 hectares and there is a level change of circa 7 metres between Deansgate and the River. The site comprised of an active open surface carpark, a disused storage building, a disused pub and a mixture of small-scale commercial spaces, many of which were unoccupied.

The brief called for a number of different dwelling types that could accommodate Place First's target demographic. The development proposal provided circa 200 dwellings across the site including apartments, townhouses and “urban bungalows” that aimed to provide high-quality affordable homes for a variety of occupiers ranging from young working individuals and sharers to families downsizing and older couples.

Along with providing a broad range of accommodation types, our proposal provided a significant element of public access accommodation fronting onto Deansgate and Central Street including a new urban square that tuned Central Street into a primary route rather than a secondary back street environment. This re-invigorated street formed an important connection between Deansgate and the River Croal.