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194K views 712 replies 110 participants last post by  Tony_H1 
#1 ·
Haven't seen a Bolton thread on here so don't mind me if I make one.

I had never visted Bolton before 2 weeks ago when I stopped off on the train home from Preston and I have to say I was quite impressed. The town centre had some really grand buildings and pleasent pedestrian zones, much more impressive than other lancashire towns such as Bury, Preston, Wigan, Oldham etc. More on a par with a Nottingham or a Newcastle I thought. There also seemed to be a pleasent array of restaurants, shops and pubs and even though it was a Sunday night there was a bit of a buzz and confidence about the place.

Has anyone got any pictures or have any development news for Bolton? I think it might suffer not being on the mainline to London but having a new university must help if it can grow like Preston's has. Other than that I didnt really see outside of the city centre but Im sure it has deprivation like anywhere else. Farnworth reminded me of Cheetham Hill or a larger Rusholme. And the bus station could do with some work. But the actual town centre itself was a really pleasent place to spend some time. Even the 70's buildings didnt let it down like they do in Ashton or Preston.

One thing Im dissapointed about is how far the football stadium is from the centre. Its a wonderful piece of architecture and if it had been located near the centre it might have have taken the centre into premier league heights (pardon the pun) anyway I'll try to find some pictures myself.

Any thoughts?
 
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#233 ·
BWFC OS.

Proposals made to develop the Reebok Stadium, Bolton Arena and the Middlebrook Retail Park

Proposals to develop facilities at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton Arena and the surrounding areas at the Middlebrook Retail Park have been announced by Burnden Leisure in conjunction with the Bolton Arena Trust.

These proposals are now subject to a public consultation process.

The development would include the construction of new sporting and educational facilities.

Ideas also under consideration include expansion of the West Stand at the Reebok Stadium to allow for further commercial opportunities.

“In 1996, the club's then board had the vision to build the Reebok Stadium,” said Chairman Phil Gartside.

“Now we are seeking to add to that vision with the planned creation of a major regional sports and education centre and offices at Middlebrook.

“This would maximise the potential of the existing facilities and develop further complementary elements.

“Our scheme includes working closely with the Bolton Arena Trust to reconfigure the Arena. This would lead to a new sports building and also an upgrade of the football pitches and other sporting facilities, which would bring further benefits and usage for the community.

“There are also plans to build a new education and welfare building at the Arena, along with the expansion of the West Stand at the Reebok Stadium.

“This would see the provision of up to 29,000 square metres of commercial and office accommodation adjacent to the stadium.

“In addition, we will continue upgrading our facilities at the academy, including permanent changing rooms at Lostock.

"These are all very exciting proposals and we will be working with local residents and all parties involved in these plans, as, together, we seek to make them a reality."

 
#234 ·
New "Meccano" bridge being built at Nob End.


Work has begun on the construction of a "giant Meccano-style footbridge" in Greater Manchester.

The £90,000 steelwork bridge, designed by artist Liam Curtin, will cross the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal at Nob End in Bolton.

The structure, which has a span of 6.4m (21ft) and a height of 1.3m (4ft 3in), is being built on the site of a disused horse bridge.
...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-20651212
 
#235 ·
A brand new Costa has been built at the Bolton Retail Park, next to Decathlon. Quite a nice little building and seems to have appeared out of nowhere - I pass/use the retail park at least once a month and it has just appeared. Here's an article from January http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/9459892.Fifth_coffee_shop_for_town/?ref=rss. It's the fifth in the town.

Also I heard through Twitter a new Starbucks has opened in Bolton, however I do not know where.
 
#236 ·
MEN.

Howarth Estates plans £250m Bolton warehouse scheme
27 May 2013 16:18
A £250m warehouse scheme has been revealed for the Cutacre site, near Bolton.

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Plans for a giant £250m warehouse scheme in Greater Manchester have been unveiled.

Developer Howarth Estates is expected to submit a planning application to Bolton council for the transformation of the Cutacre site in the coming weeks.

The development, next to junction four of the M61 motorway between Over Hulton and Greenheys, will be re-branded as Logistics North.

Planning consultations will begin in Bolton and neighbouring Salford and Wigan boroughs in the next few days.

Howarth will develop the former opencast mine into approximately 247 acres of land for warehouses, factories, offices and other supporting uses.

It is believed discount retailer Aldi is close to agreeing to take the first warehouse at the site – a 500,000 sq ft property, the equivalent of six football pitches. The site will also include a nature site called The Cutacre Country Park.

It will surround the employment development and provide a 558-acre landscaped area for public access, recreation, nature conservation and agricultural uses.

Wildlife areas will be combined with panoramic views across the region to create a unique character for the park.

The development is a response to massive demand for new warehouses from retailers and from parcels companies, thanks to growing internet retailing.

Howarth, until recently a subsidiary of UK Coal, had been expected to develop the site with another property company, or to sell sites to raise cash for UK Coal.

But a change in the company’s ownership now means it can develop Cutacre itself.

Phil Wilson, executive director at Howarth, said: “We are engaging with potential occupiers and hope to be able to agree deals by the summer. The Logistics North site can serve the Greater Manchester market, and we are looking at a range of warehouse units up to 1m sq ft, also at manufacturers and offices users.

“We don’t see this as just a distribution site.

“We have now taken control of the site from UK Coal and have just let a contract to clear and remediate the rest of the site – work we would have done last summer if the wet weather hadn’t made that impossible.

“We hope those site works will be completed by late summer or the autumn.

“Once we have planning permission, we can begin to put the infrastructure in place to serve the first few plots.“

The plans come on the back of it emerging that 3m sq ft of warehouses were to be built at Warrington’s Omega South site.
 
#237 ·
Place North West.

Four-year-old law firm plans £7m office 28 Nov 2013, 11:46 Asons Solicitors have announced plans to build a 40,000 sq ft £7m office in Clarence Street in Bolton town centre.



The new office designed by architects Bradshaw Gass & Hope will accommodate 479 employees, creating 300 jobs when the building is finished in 2015.
Asons said there will be an "executive networking hall, a gourmet restaurant for business clients as well as glass projection technology that will transform one of the glass walls into an animated masterpiece." There will also be a "grown up playground for employees, an idea taken from the Google ethos".

Imran Akram, chief executive, said: "I've been to London, New York and Dubai; and Bolton really lacks that big commercial feel, the lights, the modern design, the fancy glass walls - I wanted to bring a bit of that to Bolton, hoping that other businesses with big ideas will follow suit. I think it'll brighten up the town centre nicely."

Upon completion, the building will also serve as the hub of operations for Asons, where satellite offices will then be developed in Singapore, London, Dubai, New York and Pakistan.

Founded only four years ago by brothers Imran and Kamran Akram, Asons Solicitors has grown from a three-man outfit in a converted terrace in Chorley New Road, to a law firm of over 270 staff, currently based at 120 Bark Street over three floors. - See more at: http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/new...irm-plans-7m-office.html#sthash.T3iIQiUA.dpuf
 
#240 ·
More on the Market Place Shopping Centre extension in Bolton.

Cinema extension kicks off Bolton mall redevelopment

6 Dec 2013, 08:58



Developer-investor Moorgarth, backed by South African retail billionaire Christo Wiese, has completed the acquisition of Market Place Shopping Centre in Bolton and submitted its first-phase planning application for a £15m rebirth.

The first planning application was made days after buying the 400,000 sq ft centre. The design by Wren Architecture & Design is for the addition of a nine-screen, 1,200-seat cinema within the existing centre. The 30,000 sq ft cinema will be installed in part of the 640-space three-storey car park, with partial replacement of parking spaces above. Bolton does not currently have a town centre cinema and this is a council priority.

The design statement by Wren said that because the cinema will fit within the walls of the car park, the top level of the car park can be extended over the auditoria. Existing mechanical plant for the shopping centre will also be relocated up to this level.

The cinema extension at second floor will use a mix of glass, metal and polycarbonate materials on its exterior. A later application will be made to illuminate the cinema box at night.

Further applications will also follow to convert the basement brick vaults of the Victorian Market Hall at the south of the centre into 30,000 sq ft of restaurant space in seven or eight units. This will include opening up the floor to create views into the basement in the style of the arcades in Covent Garden, London.

Talks with the council and English Heritage have started and Moorgarth said it hoped to move this phase forward as soon as possible.

Market Place was acquired by Christo Wiese's Inception Holdings SARL, represented in the UK by Moorgarth, for £24m from administrators last month.

Moorgarth plans to halt and reverse the decline the centre has seen in recent years, when a number of key tenants closed or chose not to renew leases. There is a current void rate of 40%.

The redevelopment will include modernistaion of the 1980s north building including improvements to customer flow, new shop fronts, lifts and stairways. Units will be reconfigured to create trading floorplates more suitable for today's retailers, which often require larger areas.

There will also be click-and-collect locations for tenants and new loyalty schemes and events integrated into an online marketing plan.

Peter Brett Associates advised Moorgarth on transport issues.
http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/new...sion-kicks-off-bolton-mall-redevelopment.html

MARKET PLACE SHOPPING CENTRE, MARKET PLACE, BOLTON, BL1 2AL

CHANGE OF USE FROM CAR PARK TO CINEMA. PARTIAL DEMOLITION OF CAR PARK DECKS AT LEVELS 3 & 4. CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BUILDING TO ACCOMMODATE CINEMA AND CAR PARKING AT LEVELS 2, 3 & 4.

http://www.planningpa.bolton.gov.uk...tails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=DCAPR_84562




And an early concept for the basement vault restaurants

 
#242 ·
Ouch! That above is a real mess. Is that building to the left a Victoriana pastiche or are those garish cheap red framed windows a recent add on?

And then at the back Mr Over Powering Caramel Crud.



I wonder if the two older citizens waiting for the bus for Nob End or Duffcocker are wondering:"where did it all go wrong?"

Makes First Street seem poetic.
 
#243 ·
^^
Even the classic Red Telephone Boxes appear to be shuffling together in preparation for a mass breakout.

Either that or they are being chased by the rampaging red pillar box appearing in the background- in some kind of Monty Python/Terry Gilliam-imagined sketch

History be gone!

Interesting to note the billboard advising "1000 movies to rent from your sofa" aside a project introducing a new Cinema complex to the town!
.
 
#244 ·
I'm afraid the red ... stuff is an original (1980s) feature from the centre's extension.

Those pictures certainly aren't pretty, but I'd hope (perhaps vainly) that that won't be the finished effect. The full Design and Access Statement (http://www.planningpa.bolton.gov.uk...102_13-DESIGN_AND_ACCESS_STATEMENT-394434.pdf if you've got a spare hour) doesn't seem to suggest that wood will be used at all. Instead 'illuminated polycarbonate' seems to be the order of the day, though how that will turn out I don't know.
Either way, development (even of an ugly kind) is sorely needed in Bolton town centre and I would hope that the future 'remodelling' that the DAS promises might include at least a 'toning down' of the 1980s Victorian pastiche.

I'm hopeful that we'll get to see some better renders at some point in the near future.
 
#247 ·
I dont know, in Wigan and Bolton at least theyve been very sucessful cinemas, in an age when most town centers had one or two screens they both delivered over 10 screens offering much greater choice and frequency, people love the free parking for cinemas when town centres often had high parking charges.

That being said nowadays people build big city centre ones only slightly smaller than out of town multiplexes in the attics of shopping centres but back then In the 90's I think that was pretty unique outside the Trafford Centre.

Must admit with a multiplex at Robin Park, a multiplex at Leigh, the one at Reebok (and one just outside Bolton too) and a small town centre cinema at Ashton-In-Makerfield (not to mention cinemas in Salford) and now a suggestion of one in Wigan town centre the local multiplex cinema market does seem a bit saturated. Im going to take credit for it though :p in the original consultation a few years ago they were suggesting another supermarket next to Morrisons and I wrote a strong consultation suggestion calling for a bowling alley/cinema in that exact spot to anchor that part of the town centre :)
 
#252 · (Edited)
The message is:
Dear Martin

Further to our meeting on 16 December I attach copies of revised elevations and consequent minor revisions to the plans together with drawing issue sheet listing all of the revised documents. In brief the revisions consist of amendments to the west elevation on to Knowsley St with the inclusion of a metal rain screen of the same type as that installed at Debenhams Oxford St and signage for the cinema and the shopping centre. On behalf of our client we wish to amend the Application to include these revisions which have been introduced to improve the junction between the Market Hall, Market Place Shopping Centre to the north and Cinema volume above. It will also enhance and strengthen the west entrance off Knowsley St and provide a feature at an appropriate scale. At this stage we have not revised the D & A Statement but please advise if it will be necessary to do so.

Please call on receipt on Thursday with any queries or clarifications you may require

Happy New Year

Best Regards

Philip Wren
The email also contains several PDFs which show the plans themselves:

http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/01/...1-bolton-marketplace-issue-sheet-planning.pdf
http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/01/...an/0091-a-pl-07-proposed-first-floor-plan.pdf
http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/01/...n/0091-a-pl-09-proposed-second-floor-plan.pdf
http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/01/...an/0091-a-pl-11-proposed-third-floor-plan.pdf
http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/01/...n/0091-a-pl-13-proposed-fourth-floor-plan.pdf
http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/01/15/0091-a-pl-17-west-elevations/0091-a-pl-17-west-elevations.pdf
http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/01/15/0091-a-pl-20-section-c-c/0091-a-pl-20-section-c-c.pdf

Hope this works!
 
#254 · (Edited)
"Charles Jeanneret-Gris!"

He hears this booming voice calling his name as he bobs serenely in the sea, without pain or worry.

Suddenly the man nicknamed "Le Corbusier" is smiling as he glides rapidly upwards in a clean cut, minimalist elevator.

Charles realizes with some surprise he is dead and he awaits judgement. Some surprise as he wasn't sure if God existed and but he smiles as he contemplates that Heaven seems to be based on modular structures and concrete.

PING!!

The door opens onto a roof top garden.

Le Corbusier gasps. In front of him is a small bronze open hand that invites him to touch.

The hand of Judgement.

A cloud descends and Charles pushes forward and as the mist clears he sees this..........

He then realizes he is Damned.

This is HELL!
 
#257 ·
Bolton wins approval for £10m UTC

Thursday 23rd January 2014

The University of Bolton has won approval for a new University Technical College (UTC) for Bolton on its main campus.

It was announced today (23 January 2014) that the University of Bolton, has been successful in winning Government approval for a £10 million University Technical College, to be built at the University’s main campus.

UTCs are a new concept in education. They offer 14-19 year olds the opportunity to take highly regarded, technically-oriented courses of study in conjunction with academic subjects. UTCs are equipped to the highest standard, and offer clear progression routes into higher education or further learning and sustained employment.

The UTC is planned to open in September 2015.

Said Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton, Professor George Holmes PhD: ‘This is great news for Bolton and is unique in the UK. For the first time on one campus we have a University, an FE College, a Sixth Form College and the new UTC. Bolton UTC will develop young people in two great strengths of our region – Engineering and Healthcare – where there is a need for well educated, career-focused new recruits. This is exactly what our UTC will aim to provide – a clear line of sight towards sustained employment or higher learning.’

Said Dr Zubair Hanslot, Provost External Relations, who has led the UTC submission: ‘The concept of the UTC is about the University and employers being involved in shaping the delivery, teaching and learning for students age 14-19.

‘The involvement will ensure students have a clear understanding of what is expected for higher education as well as a successful career.

‘The Bolton University Technical College is focused around Health Sciences and Engineering Technologies. Health is a growing sector in the region and its growth can be further assisted by the advent of technology. This is where engineers and health professionals can work together to create the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.’

Both Cohens Group and Ravat & Ray Dental Care have signed up to play a major role in developing Bolton UTC and will join the governing body of Bolton UTC as lead employer sponsors.

Yakub Patel, CEO, Cohens Group, said: ‘The Cohens Group are proud of their partnership with the University of Bolton in bringing a very innovative educational opportunity to local young people aged 14 to 19. Bolton UTC is exactly what is needed to prepare and supply able and work-ready young people required for our business and indeed other businesses in the region. Healthcare is a growing sector and the advent of technology will help the sector provide sustainable growth in the region.’

Mark Ray, Partner, Ravat & Ray Dental Care, said: ‘As a leading employer, the UTC fits very well with our strategy of helping young people to prepare for careers in dental healthcare. We have already pledged several work experience and internship places for Bolton UTC students and our work with the University continues as we plan to collaborate in offering undergraduate degree programmes in dental healthcare, enabling a clear progression route for UTC students.’

Entrepreneurship will be a key facet of the UTC in Bolton, where local employers will assist with the provision of industry internships, placements and opportunities for innovative businesses to grow within a supportive incubation environment.

Webpages have been developed where businesses and local people can register their interest, complete a short questionnaire and find out more. Go to www.bolton.ac.uk/BUTC|

Bolton UTC will be based on the University campus in the Bolton Education Zone, within the Knowledge Quarter of Bolton. It is designed to educate 600 young people and will accept its first students in September 2015. It will give students a real choice for their future careers, building on academic success and raising aspirations for young people.

The University’s Holts Mill building and its environment will be redeveloped as part of the multi-million pound project. Building work will be completed by July 2015, with the UTC offering places for students from September 2015.

The location benefits from excellent public transport links and is within an existing knowledge hub in Bolton.
http://www.bolton.ac.uk/MediaCentre/Articles/Jan2014-07.aspx

A University Technical College for you



The University of Bolton has won approval for a new University Technical College (UTC) for Bolton on its main campus.

It was announced today (23 January 2014) that the University of Bolton, has been successful in winning Government approval for a £10 million University Technical College, to be built at the University’s main campus.

A University Technical College ( UTC ) is for 14 to 19-year-old students. It focuses on technically based academic studies that is led by a university in partnership with employers.

The university and employers have recognised there is an abundance of ability and academic potential amongst the young people, however, this is not being realised due to modern schooling and lack of opportunities. The UTC will provide an environment for the young people to excel both academically and in employment, thereby fast tracking progression routes for professional careers.

A UTC offers full-time courses which bring together practical and academic skills. Employers are involved from the start in shaping the curriculum and the teaching and learning. Employers also take charge in ensuring all students have up to date and relevant employability skills.

Parents can give their feedback on the plans for the UTC , or simply register your interest below.

Parents/Guardians

Our UTC will give your children:

Real skills that meet a real need identified by employers

Guaranteed work placements to develop employability

A fresh attitude to work-focused learning that's here to stay

Businesses

Our UTC will give you:

the chance to be a key stakeholder in our UTC

Opportunities to shape our students' learning

Employment-ready young people right for your needs



What's happening in Bolton?

Bolton University Technical College is being planned, this new college will promote and develop a passion for health sciences and engineering, amongst young people in the north-west region. It will play a pivotal role in addressing skills gaps in these areas with prominent employers.

Bolton University Technical College will offer flexible learning for 14-19 year old's that will bridge academic subjects with technical, career-focused learning and valuable work experience.

Where will it be?

Bolton UTC will be based in Bolton Education Zone and will be equipped to the highest standards reflecting state of the art industry requirements. The current Holts Mill site will be redeveloped to support projects and promote the ethos of the UTC as a place of learning, training and for the delivery of job specific skills.

The proposed location has access to excellent public transport links and is within close proximity to the University of Bolton as well as Bolton College and Bolton Sixth Form College.

When is it coming?

The plan is for work to redevelop the Holts Mill site, next to the University of Bolton, to be completed by July 2015, with the UTC offering places for students from September 2015.

Why does Bolton need a University Technical College?

There is an identified skills gap in our area. Employers need young people with specific skills and it is these very work-focused skills that our UTC aims to address. Bolton UTC ’s specialisms will be engineering, manufacturing and medical technology.

Why is it different?

The UTC will be an exciting alternative study environment for young people. Students will follow a curriculum of professional and technical study in a specialist area, alongside GCSE-level qualifications in English, Maths, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, IT, a language and a humanities subject.

The curriculum will be strongly influenced by employers and the university, making education as relevant as possible for work. The learning experience will provide direct entry to employment and higher education opportunities on graduation from the UTC .

The UTC goal is to develop the next generation of skilled, enterprising employees, health professionals, engineers, technicians and managers and to help meet employers’ needs for higher level skills.

Employers

Entrepreneurship will be another key facet of the UTC in Bolton, in which local employers will offer support for business internships, placements and potential for supporting innovative businesses to grow within an incubation environment.

UTC s bring together rigorous academic study and critical thinking skills with robust and practical hands-on technical development. There will also be studio space for real world work environment with simulation and master classes offered by employers, such as Cohens, Ravat and Ray, NHS, Warburtons and the Royal Air Force.

Students will work on challenging practical projects within an employer setting with excellent experiences and progression opportunities.

At our University Technical College we pledge to:

Provide excellence in teaching and learning while nurturing and rewarding skills and talent.

Take pride in our people and their achievement and pursue excellence in all that we do.

Embrace diversity, promote opportunity and progression for all.

Target groups that are in areas facing high levels of unemployment.
http://www.bolton.ac.uk/BUTC/Home.aspx
 
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#258 ·
You wait for a cinema to open in Bolton Town Centre and two come at once. Plans have now been submitted to build a cinema and restaurant cluster at Crompton Place Shopping Centre.

Bolton could get second town centre cinema

6:00am Thursday 13th February 2014

Author Exclusive By Elaine O'Flynn, politics reporter


The Bolton News: An artist’s impression of the Crompton Place cinema complex

BOLTON could soon have not one but two town centre cinemas after plans for a second one were announced by Bolton's other big shopping centre.

The owners of Crompton Place want to build a new 11-screen multiplex alongside a range of restaurants, cafes and bars.

The proposals come less than a month after rival shopping complex the Market Place was given the go-ahead to spend £15 million on a nine-screen cinema plus eateries by demolishing parts of its car park.

Santander, which owns Crompton Place, has applied to build a 1,300-seat cinema, with the capability to show 3D movies.

Malcolm Angus, manager of Crompton Place, said the plans were very exciting news for Bolton and said “a considerable sum” would be spent transforming the centre.

He said: “We have got a redundant space on the first floor where TK Maxx used to be. The space has been vacant since 2007.

“It’s going to be tough, with the Market Place plans, but it’s a plan we’ve had on the back-burner for quite some time, and if it’s given the green light from the council and landlords we can hopefully drive it forward.

“What Bolton is gravely lacking is this night-time economy — rather than a pub or club, we’re missing out in comparison to Wigan or Bury in that we don’t have restaurants like Nandos plus a cinema.

"Hopefully, that is something we can bring to boost the town centre and stop people leaving at 5.30pm.”

Under the plans submitted to Bolton Council the former TK Maxx unit, the top floor of New Look and the former Games Workshop will be turned into the cinema, suitable for 3D movies, plus a restaurant.


The Bolton News: How the new Crompton Place cinema might look

On the ground floor nine retail units — including clothes shop Miss Cute, the Card and Party Centre, Pound Empire, Crystal Nails, Chinese remedy store Dr and Herb and Midas Jeweller — will be changed from shops into four diners.

All the stores are currently on short-term leases which will be ended if plans are given the go-ahead.

Crompton Place’s underground car park currently has 240 spaces, and there are no plans to extend it.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised by the town’s leaders about whether Bolton can sustain two cinemas in the town centres, as well as the Vue Cinema at Middlebrook and Cineworld at The Valley, in Eagley Brook Way.

An application to change the designated use from retail to leisure could also pave the way for other attractions, such as a bowling alley or a lasertag complex.

When dealing with the bid from Crompton Place, officers and councillors cannot, under planning regulations, refuse an application on the basis of competition, meaning that the current Market Place plans will not prevent the application going through.

Instead, they will have to weigh up “material planning considerations”, which covers issues such as whether there is enough parking, the design and appearance of the planned build and the impact on highway safety.

Cllr Cliff Morris, leader of Bolton Council, said: “It is significant that the private sector has again identified Bolton town centre as a place where it would like to invest, and this application will now go through the planning process.

“However, we made it clear to the applicants some time ago that the council was committing its support to the Market Place scheme, which includes the provision of the nine-screen cinema development and associated restaurants.

“We will be meeting the applicant again soon on the basis of encouraging them to work with the council in identifying possible alternative leisure uses for Crompton Place.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/11006164.Bolton_could_get_second_town_centre_cinema/?ref=var_0

CROMPTON PLACE SHOPPING CENTRE, MEALHOUSE LANE, BOLTON, BL1 1DF

DEMOLITION OF PART FIRST AND SECOND FLOORS AND ERECTION OF MULTI-SCREEN CINEMA, PART CHANGE OF USE OF FIRST AND GROUND FLOORS TO RESTAURANT TOGETHER WITH EXTERNAL ALTERATIONS.
http://www.planningpa.bolton.gov.uk...tails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=DCAPR_84842

Floorplans






Massings




Renders




 
#259 ·
Thanks for posting, Flange! I'm a bit concerned that the town centre might struggle to support two cinemas at once, although I admit, I think I prefer this one has greater aesthetic appeal! As some of the Bolton News comments suggest, a bowling alley or similar might be better here, though it's good to see people keen to invest nonetheless.
 
#262 ·
Looks like the operator of the architecturally stunning Market Place cinema is set to be The Light Cinemas (http://www.lightcinemas.com/ourcinemas/). Keith Davies (Head of Regeneration at Bolton MBC) tweeted:

Great news! Bolton’s Market Place announced that The Light Cinemas will be operator for new 9 screen cinema pic.twitter.com/jlzwCLBQZV
http://twitter.com/KeithDavies1/status/436184096596054016

Looks like quite a nice, if small, chain with a Europe-wide presence. It'll be interesting to see who's down to operate the (bigger) Crompton Place cinema if it's approved - Odeon perhaps?
 
#263 ·
Looks like the operator of the architecturally stunning Market Place cinema is set to be The Light Cinemas (http://www.lightcinemas.com/ourcinemas/). Keith Davies (Head of Regeneration at Bolton MBC) tweeted:


http://twitter.com/KeithDavies1/status/436184096596054016

Looks like quite a nice, if small, chain with a Europe-wide presence. It'll be interesting to see who's down to operate the (bigger) Crompton Place cinema if it's approved - Odeon perhaps?
Good to see the Market Place cinema go to a new operator, The Light only have one cinema so far in the UK in New Brighton, which has been performing extremely well according to reports.

http://www.lightcinemas.co.uk/en.aspx

Independent company The Light lined up to run new cinema in Bolton town centre

5:51pm Wednesday 19th February 2014 in News .

AN independent digital company has been unveiled as the operator that will run the much-anticipated nine-screen cinema at Bolton’s Market Place.

The Light Cinemas were today announced as the official partner alongside the shopping centre’s new owners Moorgarth, who bought the complex for £24 million in November.

It follows hard on the heels of a successful planning application for the nine-screen cinema, which will be built effectively on top of the Market Place.

The current car park will be reconfigured as a result of the £15 million development.

Moorgarth’s UK chief executive Tim Vaughan said the South African-based group was “thrilled” to get the go-ahead to begin work on the “state-of-the-art” cinema.

Phil Dove, head of UK operations for The Light Cinemas, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to create a cinema that is unique to Bolton.”

The news has also been welcomed by the leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris.

He added: “We are delighted that The Light Cinema Experience is to be the operator for our new town centre cinema.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news...d_up_to_run_new_cinema_in_Bolton_town_centre/

The Crompton Place proposal definitely has an air of Odeon about it, just from looking at the renders and the fact it is such a big screen proposal, along with it being capable of showing 3D releases too.
 
#264 ·
It also looks like Light offers a slightly more 'arty' range of films than you might expect at a mainstream cinema chain (http://www.lightcinemas.co.uk/en/whats-on.aspx?date=coming-soon#filter), which could help it in the face of competition. I still have my doubts about Bolton's capacity to support two cinemas, but if Light has a slightly different offering, alongside more popular releases, it may be possible.
 
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