CONSULTATION on the multi-million pound redevelopment of Church Wharf opens on Monday.

Proposals for the area — which form a key part of Bolton Council’s £1bn town centre masterplan — include hundreds of homes and a new pedestrian route along the River Croal.

A document which will guide the comprehensive regeneration of Church Wharf opens for comments on Monday.

Town hall bosses say they will talk to any businesses which are directly affected, as well as key stakeholders.

A draft Supplementary Planning Document will provide design guidance for potential developers interested in the regeneration of the area, which includes land bounded by St. Peters Way, the River Croal, Manor Street, Bank Street and Folds Road.

Town hall chiefs have identified it as currently being ‘environmentally poor’, but offering significant brownfield sites and buildings, some of which have architectural merit.

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Ebrahim Adia, said: “This document will guide the regeneration of Church Wharf which is a key gateway into Bolton town centre.

“It is also one of our five key sites in our masterplan, and we are already speaking to developers and investors about the area, and talks are progressing well.

“We will now consult all key stakeholders and affected businesses and any comments that are received will be taken into consideration before the document is finalised and adopted.”

Once approved, the guide will be used with developers in discussions on drawing up detailed proposals for the area, and will also be a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.

It comes a decade after the council first announced its intention to turn the site into a shopping, leisure, and residential complex.

That ambitious £226m project was scrapped, due to the global financial crisis.

The consultation will run from until Friday March 2.

From January 22, a copy of the draft planning document will be available online at bolton.gov.uk/website/pages/Supplementaryplanningdocuments.aspx