Social impact developer CAPITAL&CENTRIC – stars of BBC Two’s Manctopia – has revised its £50 million plans to transform the former Farnworth market precinct into a vibrant new town centre community.
But now, following consultation with stakeholders, the scheme is set to include 12 family homes which will sit alongside 82 apartments.
A new linear park connecting the site and Farnworth Central Park is planned, providing a landscaped green hang out space for locals to enjoy, and the developer is also ooking to create a bustling new public square which could become a destination for artisan markets, live events, art galleries and pop-ups for foodies.
A flexible indoor space for community uses will too sit alongside spaces for local businesses to locate such as café bars and indie retailers.
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A community pavilion – which will be available to hire for events – is also included in the plans.
Check out our latest plans for Farnworth👇
We’re creating everything you need for a proper, thriving community.
The town centre reboot will have family homes, apartments, green spaces and a bustling new public square for events, artisan markets and indie pop-ups 🏡🍃🎪 pic.twitter.com/4Eg9ohruaN
“We always wanted this to be a vibrant mixed community which would attract people of all ages, so by reducing the amount of apartments and including more houses it’ll appeal to more families too,” said Tim Heatley, co-founder of CAPITAL&CENTRIC.
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“Less apartments also means that we’ve been able to reduce the height of the buildings to bring more sunlight into the public square.
“We were already planning loads of green and open spaces, but by tweaking the plans we’re able to provide even more.
“This is about rebooting the market town and creating a new destination for people to live, work and hang out. We want to attract cool indie operators, whether that’s a healthy deli, street food pop up or cafe bar, [so] it’ll be a bustling place with loads going on and plenty of community space for events and clubs.
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“It’ll become it’s own eco-system with everything you need for a proper, thriving community.”
Plans will transform the former Farnworth market precinct into a vibrant new town centre community / Credit: CAPITAL&CENTRIC
Located on King Street, the new community development is a short walk from Farnworth train station with easy access into Bolton and Manchester, and on the doorstep of the refurbished bus station, which makes it an ideal location for commuters.
In December last year Farnworth, was awarded over £13 million from the government’s ‘Future High Street’ fund to help transform the high street, and this will help deliver the town centre masterplan adopted by Bolton Council in 2019 – which includes plans to redevelop the market precinct.
Farnworth is also one of Andy Burnham’s ‘Town Centre Challenge’ areas.
The scheme is set to include 12 family homes which will sit alongside 82 apartments / Credit: CAPITAL&CENTRIC
“We are pleased that CAPITAL&CENTRIC has listened to local stakeholders and included more family homes in their proposals to create a vibrant mixed-used community in Farnworth,” said Cllr Martyn Cox, the Deputy Leader of Bolton Council.
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“Bolton Council underlined our commitment to regenerating Farnworth by producing a master-plan in 2019 and it is exciting to see these proposals progressing well.”
A decision on the outline planning application is expected from Bolton Council in the coming weeks.
Featured Image – CAPTIAL&CENTRIC
News
The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Greater Manchester’s fire service officially rated ‘outstanding’ following inspection
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s fire service has officially been rated ‘outstanding’.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has awarded published its latest inspection report, and has awarded Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) two ‘Outstanding’ ratings for the first time in the service’s history.
One ‘outstanding’ rating was given for the preventing of fire and emergencies, and one for values and culture.
Some of the areas of strength noted in the report include outstanding prevention work, acknowledging the service’s innovative partnership activity and targeted risk reduction programmes, and a ‘strong, positive, and inclusive’ culture, with strong communication and a clear focus on values, staff voice, and transparent decision making.
The service was also commended for having high levels of operational preparedness, and ‘effective’ governance and scrutiny, with ‘clear’ performance reporting and strategic direction.
In addition to the two ‘Outstanding’ ratings, inspectors also rated GMFRS as ‘Good’ in seven of the eight other inspection categories – including responding to fires and other emergencies, training and developing the right people with the right skills, and ensuring fairness and diversity across the workplace.
Inspectors also acknowledged the ‘significant capacity pressures’ on fire safety regulation across the UK, and the unique challenges posed by Greater Manchester’s complex and fast-changing urban environment.
“Greater Manchester has a fire and rescue service we can be proud of,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, as the inspection report was published this week.
Greater Manchester’s fire service has officially been rated ‘outstanding’ following its latest inspection / Credit: GMFRS
“I’ve often said that GMFRS is one of the best services not just in this country, but anywhere. The inspectors’ findings reinforce this belief. I’m pleased that this strong inspection report recognises its outstanding prevention work as part of Greater Manchester’s Live Well approach, its outstanding culture and values, and consistently good performance across almost every other area.”
Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russell, added: “I am really pleased that the inspectors have recognised our progress towards this goal, by awarding us ‘Outstanding’ ratings for the first time in our service’s history.
“I am particularly pleased to have been awarded these for our nation-leading work on prevention, helping us to use our resources in the most effective way, and in our service’s culture, which I made my number one priority when joining the service.”
Emily Sergeant -
19th August 2021 
