Bolton’s £175m Crompton Place revamp delayed until 2024
Work to redevelop the 280,000 sq ft shopping complex will not begin for at least another 18 months as negotiations with tenants and potential development partners drag on, the council told Place North West.
Bolton Council bought Crompton Place in June 2018 for £14.8m from Santander Pension Fund with the aim of redeveloping it as part of a wider £1bn town centre regeneration strategy.
Two years later, planning approval was granted to convert the shopping centre into a 110-bedroom hotel, 150 homes and 113,000 sq ft of office space.
However, the project has suffered a series of delays since then and now won’t commence until 2024 at the earliest.
“The start date for the redevelopment of Crompton Place has always been dependent on reaching agreements with all 77 unit owners and leaseholders in the shopping centre,” a spokesperson for Bolton Council told Place.
The council said it had reached agreements on “almost all units” but said it did not know when final vacant possession agreements would be concluded.
“As a result, we have agreed to move library services into Crompton Place for approximately 18 months, whilst the Central Library and Aquarium undergo a £3.7m refurbishment,” the council explained.
“This will delay development by 18 months, but we remain committed to delivering this project at the earliest possible opportunity.”
As well as protracted negotiations with tenants, the process of finding a development partner has also contributed to the sluggish progress at Crompton Place.
Bolton Regeneration, a joint venture between the council BCEGI and Midia, had been in line to deliver the scheme but was dissolved in February.
Bolton Council said talks with “a number of developers” around the future of Crompton Place are ongoing but that no final decision on how to progress the scheme has been made.
While plans for Crompton Place continue to stall, progress is being made on several other town centre projects.
These include the redevelopment of the former Moor Lane bus station into 208 homes.
This will never be built as they just don’t have the funds to build it, especially as the cost of building it has grown.
By Anonymous
Really frustrating for my home town. Delaying the flagship project just prevents any real progress in regenerating the town centre. So far all that seems to be happening is social housing. I get that covid played its part and a number of failed funding bids, but I can’t help but this someone needs to prepare a proper long term masterplan for the town.
By MJ
The current Conservative council has not been honest with people of Bolton about why development has stop when it was supposed to be underwritten with money from future Manchester Airport profits..So much for leveling up,the council has deceived the people of Bolton with false hope .
By Anonymous