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
Spike in antisemitic incidents reported after Manchester synagogue terror attack
Emily Sergeant
A new report has revealed that there was a rise in antisemitic incidents reported following the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
In case you need a reminder, the shocking knife and car attack took place on 2 October 2025 on Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar – at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, and during the incident, two men sadly lost their lives during the attack – Adrian Daulby, 53, who was shot dead by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) while trying to stop the attacker from entering the synagogue, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, a worshipper who also helped stop the attacker.
The attacker was named as 35-year-old Jihad al Shamie – a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent who lived in Prestwich – who at the time was on bail for an alleged rape, before being shot dead by police.
In the wake of the attack, the Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism in the UK, said 40 antisemitic incidents were reported on 2 October last year, and a further 40 were reported the day after – more than half of which involved direct reactions to the deadly attack.
These were the highest daily totals in 2025.
A spike in antisemitic incidents were reported after the Manchester synagogue terror attack / Credit: Google Maps | GMP
Three of the reported incidents on 2 and 3 October involved ‘face-to-face taunting and celebration of the attack to Jewish people’, according to the CST.
39 of the reported incidents were antisemitic social media posts referencing the attack, abusive responses to public condemnations of the attack from Jewish organisations and individuals, or antagonistic emails sent to Jewish people and institutions.
The Manchester synagogue attack was the first fatal antisemitic terror attack in the UK since the CST started recording incidents in 1984.
Overall, 3,700 anti-Jewish hate incidents were recorded in 2025 – which is said to be up 4% on the incidents recorded in the year before – and the CST revealed that this the second-highest annual total ever recorded.
There was also a spike in reported anti-Jewish hate incidents following the Bondi Beach killings in Sydney in December of last year too, the CST said.
Dave Rich, who is the director of police at CST, told Sky News in a statement: “We need a more robust approach to the kind of extremism that drives antisemitism.
“Jewish people in Britain used to be able to go about their lives without ever thinking about antisemitism, and now it’s the topic of conversation around every dinner table. That’s new.
“It feels for a lot of Jewish people like we’re in a different world now, the atmosphere is different, the climate has changed for Jewish people and the amount of antisemitism is part of that.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Trailer released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed all across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new romcom that’s set and filmed all across Manchester has been released.
The film, titled Finding Emily, tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl on a night out, but ends up with the wrong phone number, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, and based on a screenplay written by Rachel Hirons – is produced by Working Title Films, is set in the fictional Manchester City University, and is due to be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures across the UK and internationally this spring.
The talented ensemble cast groups together big names like Minnie Driver with rising stars like Ella Maisy Purvis, Yali Topal Margalith, and Kat Ronney, as well as other established actors including Timothy Innes and Nadia Parkes.
Filming took place in Manchester between August and September 2024.
The two and a half-minute trailer has been shared with the world today, and when we say it’s a Manc film, we mean it… we quite literally lost count of how many of our city’s famous locations can be spotted in just the trailer alone.
The trailer has been released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed in Manchester / Credit: Universal Pictures & Focus Features (via YouTube)
There’s everything from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street and the Gay Village, the Northern Quarter, the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see, alongside what’ll, presumably, be dozens of other famous locations.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Emily Sergeant -
19th August 2021 
