New hotel and re-vamped shopping centre as Bolton to receive £20m in levelling up funding

A high-end hotel, conference complex and re-imagined shopping centre are on the horizon for Bolton town centre.

Town hall bosses have previously set their sights on numerous regeneration projects for the centre of the borough, but look set to final have their plans realised. Bolton was today award £20m in government Levelling Up cash, along with a 55 other areas around the country.

The money means the area around Bolton’s famed town hall could get a huge overhaul, something which has been in the pipeline for years.

One plan in development would see the southern side of Le Mans Crescent converted into a high-end hotel operated by IHG, the brand responsible for Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo and InterContinental. This hotel development will be complemented by adding conference facilities to the neighbouring Albert Halls within the town hall.

Bolton council said this would bring more visitors to the town centre, and improve public access to the listed building. A further project would see a new layout for Market Place shopping centre including a public space with the addition of a courtyard under the building’s skylight.

The building would be opened up so pedestrians can walk directly between the existing main entrance and a new entryway on St George’s Road. The third development would open up the historic area around Mawdsley Street while improving connections between Nelson Square and the rest of the town centre.

More open space would be created by demolishing the unused NHS building in Victoria Square with potential for a small public green space. The projects are aimed to be delivered by March 2026.

The schemes announced today, in the third round of funding, draw on bids previously submitted by councils which were rejected in the first two rounds of applications.

Bolton’s bid is part of the wider £1 billion master-plan for town regeneration to create more homes, jobs and better connectivity.

Council leader Nick Peel, said: “This is the result of years of work by council officers and they must receive full credit for their work. This is money we failed to get in the last round of funding earlier this year because we were told the north had received too much money previously. I’m glad that the government has re-thought their position on that. This will be very helpful in terms of the regeneration plans for the town centre.”

Mark Logan, MP for Bolton North East, said: “I’m ecstatic to announce this fantastic £20m news for the future of Bolton. We are committed to cementing our great town as an even more attractive destination to work, live and visit.

Mr Logan, a Conservative MP, singled out the previous Bolton council administation, also Conservative, for thanks.

He said: “I’d like to thank the previous Bolton Council administration for working together on this bid over a long period of time, and for the current council team, we have a lot of work to do now to realise the regeneration of our town.”