Pedestrianising a “beautiful piece of architecture” in the town centre currently used as a car park would be a “no-brainer”, a former council leader says.

The area around Le Mans Crescent at the town hall is currently used for parking and for cars turning around the town centre but is closed off at various points of the year for events.

Speaking at a recent meeting Cllr Martyn Cox, who led Bolton Council from 2021 to 2023, admitted he had hoped to predestrianise the area during his period in office but had not received the funding to do so.

He said: “One thing that we failed to do, and I say we I mean me, and it drives me mad is that we couldn’t get round to doing it, we couldn’t get the funding to do it, was the pedestrianisation of Le Mans Crescent.

“That is a beautiful piece of architecture, and we use it as a car park.

The Bolton News: Cllr Martyn Cox raised the issue at a recent Bolton Council meetingCllr Martyn Cox raised the issue at a recent Bolton Council meeting (Image: Bolton Council)

“Can you imagine the open space we would have? The events space it would be? The connection space it would be to the new housing development on Moor Lane?

“Having Le Mans Cresent as a carpark is just nuts.”

ALSO READ: Bolton centre of another drama as film crews set up in town centre for 2 hit series

ALSO READ: TV crews back in Bolton as filming for new drama gets underway

ALSO READ: Praise for record breaking 'best festival in the world' as it celebrates 18 years

Cllr Cox had been speaking at a recent meeting of the corporate scrutiny committee which had been looking at the schedule of events held in Bolton town centre and how they had helped to attract visitors and further footfall into the area.

Events like these have had included the Food and Drink Festival, which entered its 18th year in the town, the Ironman festival and the planned Christmas celebration programme dubbed the “Put Big Light On” festival.

Cllr Cox, of Heaton, Lostock and Chew Moor, said that he felt the additional space around Le Mans Crescent could help to facilitate more events like this and help to boost planned development.

He said: “We couldn’t get the funding to do it and its such a no-brainer for the town and I hope at some point in the future we could get round to doing it because it would provide the fabulous space that we need.”