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
Kevin De Bruyne confirms he is leaving Manchester City
One of the Premier League’s best-ever players and a true Manchester City legend, Kevin De Bruyne, has confirmed he will soon be leaving the club.
Announced in a series of emotional social media posts on Friday, 4 April, the brilliant Belgian footballer will be calling time on his career at the Etihad Stadium come the end of this season.
Having spent a decade in the iconic blue of Man City, De Bruyne will undoubtedly go down as one of their all-time greats, having helped them to their first Champions League trophy during the Treble-winning year and a record four consecutive Premier League titles – of which he’s won six in total.
As you can see in the lengthy message shared on his social media, ‘King Kev’ informed City supporters that this current campaign will be his last in their colours, writing: “Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter.”
The 33-year-old, who has suffered from increasing injury problems over the last couple of years, goes on to say that “Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players we all know this day eventually come. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.”
In what is clearly a heartfelt and just as difficult a post for him to write as it is for fans to hear, he added: Football led me to all of you – and this city […] This will always be our HOME.”
Blues all over Greater Manchester and beyond will be heartbroken, but many won’t be completely shocked given his in-and-out
It’s a sad day to be a Cityzen, no doubt.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester derby, manager Pep Guardiola said: “In the Premier League, he is one of the greatest midfielders in this country and top of the Club. Great, if not the greatest.
Manchester City will bid an emotional farewell to Kevin De Bruyne this summer when his contract expires, bringing an end to a glittering 10-year period at the Club 🩵
Although his talent will never come into question, it’s no secret that he’s struggled to stay fit and be as prolific a creator in Guardiola‘s side – though this is largely in contrast to his ridiculously high levels and just how much of a talisman he has been over the past 10 years.
Starting just 19 matches this season, he’s still managed to score four goals and register seven assists, but a recurring hamstring problem has seen game time limited.
Regardless, when he’s at his best, there’s no question about it: he’s the best player in the Premier League, and the club have promised to pay fitting tributes to their generational number 17.
With 106 goals to his name in 413 appearances – the first midfielder since Colin Bell to reach over a century – across all competitions for City, not to mention 118 assists in the Premier League alone, he’s been one of the most creative and, frankly, ingenious players on the planet for more than a decade.
Whether you’re a Blue, a Red or otherwise, no one can deny the joy of watching him play football. Thanks for the memories, KdB.
The regeneration plans being put forward for Prestwich have taken another step forward as a construction company has new been appointed to bring the vision of a new village centre to life.
With full planning permission for phase one of the redevelopment granted back in July 2024, it’s been pretty much full speed ahead on lining up one of Greater Manchester’s latest regeneration projects and adding more to what is already one of its best up-and-coming suburbs.
Prestwich Village Regeneration LLP are pumping over £100 million into developing the main square, and with Chroma Consulting having now passed on the baton to those erecting this new-look town centre, the joint venture between Bury Council and national ‘place maker’ Muse, work can soon begin.
You can see one of the first early renders down below:
CGIs of the new space around the Longfield Centre. (Credit: Supplied)
VINCI Building were officially appointed as construction partners last month, and with enabling works (surveys, ground investigations and so forth) now complete, the contractors are expected to get underway soon.
Additions to the vibrant new village centre will include a multi-storey Travel Hub, which will also see 301 new parking spaces, along with electric vehicle charging points, cycle storage and a car club. This will replace the Fairfax Road car park, which closed when the early stage began last December.
Beyond this, the Prestwich regeneration plans are set to include a community hub, library and flexible community space for arts and cultural events, a new Prestwich Health Centre; a fresh village square with ‘family-friendly social places’ and room for open-air markets, festivals and more.
A dedicated Prestwich Village Market hall will be the perfect place to house local retailers as well as food and drink vendors, not to mention a much better entry point into the village courtesy of plans to transform the “arrival experience from the tram” by integrating with surrounding green spaces.
Speaking of which, there will also be extensive landscaping in and around the village centre, with the existing fountain set to be removed and new public art installations created in its place.
A glimpse at the new Prestwich Village Market.An overview of all three phases.Credit: Supplied
Beyond the public spaces, over 200 new homes – which made up a big part of the initial application – are also included in the wider vision, with a mix of affordable housing and FTB (first-time buyers) properties.
Leader of Bury Council, Eamonn O’Brien, said of the latest developments: “We are thrilled to announce the next stage in this multi-million pound transformational regeneration scheme, which marks a significant step towards revitalising the heart of Prestwich Village and creating a vibrant, sustainable future for all.
“As well as enhancing local infrastructure, our ambitious plans will foster economic growth and improve the quality of life for the whole community.” A final completion date is yet to be confirmed, but work on the Travel Hub specifically is set to carry over into next year.
Exciting times are ahead for Prestwich. It’s not the only borough making plans for the next chapter and set for a bit of TLC.
Emily Sergeant -
19th August 2021 
