Farnworth regeneration plan scaled back after public feedback

Plans to overhaul Farnworth town centre with a £50m regeneration project have been altered significantly by the developers.

Original plans were submitted last March by Capital and Centric (C&C), proposing to build around 220 new homes and 3,200sqm of commercial space with funding from the government’s Future High Streets Fund.

However, following extensive public consultation and less funding than originally anticipated the scheme has been altered.

It will now 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 space.

A flexible indoor space for community uses will sit alongside spaces for local businesses for cafés, bars and independent retailers. The developer is also now planning a community pavilion which will be available to hire for events.

Tim Heatley, co-founder of C&C said: "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. Less apartments also means that we’ve been able to reduce the height of the building’s 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."

Deputy Leader of Bolton Council, Martyn Cox, added: "We are pleased that C&C has listened to local stakeholders and included more family homes in their proposals to create a vibrant mixed-used community in Farnworth.

“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."

The shape of the scheme has also been changed to allow the community hub to be facing the bus station.

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