Bolton Civic Trust believe Moor Lane scheme needs improvement

Plans to transform the former Moor Lane bus station site into a new housing estate have been recommended for approval by the council.

The civic trust has also unveiled its own alternative vision for the location, featuring more public parks.

Ambitions plans for the site were submitted after a public consultation in September for more than 200 homes in and around the old bus station land, to be managed by Bolton at Home.

• Plans for 200 Bolton town centre homes set for approval

Of these 208 homes, 82 would be affordable, with new commercial space created.

Alternative plans for Cheadle Square within the Moor Lane bus station plans by the Bolton & District Civic Trust

Trust officials have raised a number of objections to these plans, describing them as poor for tackling the housing needs of the town, and wants the council to revisit the plans.

Key points raised by the trust include the potential overuse of Victoria Square.

The trust also fears there will be a low amenity value for Cheadle Square, ‘warehouse’ size buildings next to Le Mans Crescent and lack of consideration for climate change.

Richard Shirres, trust chairman, said in a letter to the leader of the council, Martyn Cox: “More strategically, we have deeper concerns about the 2017 Bolton Town Centre Master planning; not just owing to its lack of reference to climate adaptation.

“The re-population of the town centre demands some studied articulation of what compliance is expected of the built environment, in terms of planning and architecture, to help engender communities.

“The civic trust has sought to work around the constraints of the existing application to bring about suitable amendment whilst, as requested, not seeking to undo the essential elements and some key concepts of the submitted scheme.

Bolton Council's plans for Moor Lane

“We believe with little more than modest re-working a, somewhat, more appropriate scheme, with very similar constructional input, could be achieved.

“Nevertheless, the civic trust’s concerns remain that this scheme does not do justice to the potential prestige of the site and see it underplaying future economic benefits for the town.

“We welcomed our meeting and the suggestion to return comment and we trust that this submission for adjusting the current proposal will be met with serious and positive consideration.”

In response to the trust’s alternative scheme council officers believe the ‘proposal complies with national and local planning policies and should therefore be approved on its own merits rather than in comparison to some other alternative scheme’.

The proposal is set to come before the council’s planning committee today, and is recommended for approval.