A DERELICT former car park on Chorley Street will soon be transformed into more than 100 affordable homes with views of Queens Park.

Work is due to start before the end of September on 118 new homes which will be available to buy through the Government's shared ownership scheme designed to help people on to the property ladder.

There will be 17 two, three and four-bedroom houses with landscaped gardens, plus dedicated housing for the elderly.

The remaining properties will be apartments with Juliet balconies. Many of the flats will have views of Queen’s Park and the River Croal, which runs next to the site.

There will be range of rent tenures and Rent-to-Pay options and dedicated housing for the elderly.

Executive director of growth, development and assets at Irwell Valley Homes said: “This development offers something for everyone, responding to the diverse need for affordable homes to rent and to buy in Bolton, as well as the growing demand for specialist housing for older people.”

The plans were approved by Bolton Council officers. Homes England have funded the project and it will be built by Salford contractor Watson Homes, featuring designs from Stockport based The Architectural Design Workshop.

Bolton At Home’s Director of Development, Dominic Conway said: “We’re thrilled to have gained planning permission for this development, which provides much-needed choice for local people in need of affordable housing. Being so close to local services, the town centre and transport links, we expect this development to prove very popular.”

At the centre of the site, 62 car parking spaces will be provided for residents living in the apartments, as well as 31 spaces for the houses. The homes will be accessed from Chorley Street, using an existing access point.

Providers, Bolton at Home and Irwell Valley Homes are both members of the Greater Manchester Housing Providers Network. The 26 providers that make up the network have pledged to provide 16,000 new homes by April 2024.