Heres something I found from a Rochdale paper:
Thriving town provides the perfect base for commercial success
Bolton is the perfect location in which to do business. The town enjoys excellent transport links, an excellent supply of high specification offices and is home to the UK’s newest university The University of Bolton.
A thriving centre for technological innovation, modern manufacturing and quality service industries, Bolton is situated in the heart of the North West, surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in England, and yet only a stone’s throw from the nucleus of the Manchester City Region.
Bolton’s robust economy is powered by national and international names such as Reebok, Hitachi, Warburtons, MBDA, dabs.com, Keoghs, Royal Bank of Scotland and Georgia Pacific to name but a few.
Bolton is THE location to develop your business. With excel-lent transport links on your doorstep, a wealth of potential staff living close by, fabulous affordable housing and a wonderful mix of town and countryside in the immediate vicinity.
"Bolton represents a great opportunity for businesses which would like to grow. We have the benefits of proximity to Manchester, yet are also on the edges of rural Lancashire, which presents something for everyone and ensures that the local workforce enjoy living in the borough. The business community is diverse and very active and facilities such as The University of Bolton's Design Studio and the Technical Innovation Centre offer opportunities for product development which simply don't exist in other towns" says Paul Foster, Local Area Policy Manager, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
Unemployment levels in Bolton have been falling for a number of years and there are currently just over 4,000 people claiming Jobseekers Allowance within the borough. Bolton has a well qualified workforce – 72,000 residents of working age are qualified to NVQ Level 3 and above (this is the third highest rate across Greater Manchester), while just 25,000 have no qualifications.
Bolton’s largest sector for employees is within the ‘distribution, hotels & restaurants’ category which sup-plies just over one quarter of all jobs in Bolton. Bolton has the second highest rate of employees within this sector in the sub-region (after Trafford).
Bolton's University status is a huge fillip for local businesses. With more credibility, it is hoped that a greater number of students will receive higher education qualifications from The University of Bolton, meaning that local businesses will have a greater pool of skilled and qualified applicants when they look to fill vacancies.
Greater Manchester Chamber is working closely with the University of Bolton to help bridge the gap between education and the world of work. A greater emphasis on encouraging enterprise is also being fostered locally.
Developing a thriving and increasingly diverse town centre is also a key priority for businesses in Bolton. The Chamber is a supporter of plans for regeneration in the town centre, which will see various ‘quarters’ develop to encourage people to view Bolton as a forward-looking town with plenty to offer both residents and visitors. The Chamber has facilitated a meeting of local businesses to discuss views of the town centre and these views have been relayed to the local authority.
Local transport and car parking issues remain key priority areas in the borough. The Chamber will be involved in consultation relating to car parking availability in the town centre over the coming months and is represented at the Car Parking Strategy Group meetings at the Town Hall.
Land availability is another issue which is of importance to local businesses, both in terms of attracting inward investment and providing options for successful local firms who are looking to move to new or larger premises within the borough. The Chamber is represented on the BoltonWIDE group which deals with development of the Bolton West area and incorporates the Economic Development Zone.
Focus on Bolton 2
Bolton town centre
Town benefits from major inward investment
Half a billion pounds of investment will transform Bolton town centre into one of the north west’s major shopping attractions. But it’s not just the retail sector that is being addressed – culture and the town’s transport links are also being improved.
£100M new shopping heart for Bolton
A new shopping heart for Bolton is to be created at the centre of a £100M development. Central Square will see new retail units and housing; improved cultural and community facilities and extra car parking.
This forgotten area of the town centre lies behind Knowsley Street and Deansgate and is currently a mixture of derelict former industrial land and open car parks by the banks of the River Croal.
The scheme will create an extra 350,000 sq ft of retail space anchored by a major new foodstore; add 150 residential units and provide parking for 850 vehicles.
Bolton Methodist Mission are major landowners in the area and the scheme will refurbish their listed Victoria Hall building and relocate the current community facilities at the Walker Memorial Hall.
And significant environmental improvements to the River Croal will extend Bolton’s ‘green corridor’ from Queen’s Park right into the town centre.
Outline planning permission was granted to developers Wilson Bowden last year and it is expected that the scheme will be finished by 2009.
Market Hall transformation will create 100,000sq ft of new retail units
The £30M transformation of Bolton’s Market Hall will bring new national retailers into the town centre while retaining traditional, local traders.
The scheme will create 100,000 sq ft of new retail units, all beneath the classical early Victorian iron, glass and stone framework of the Grade 11 listed building. A new contemporary building on the piazza outside will also create an additional 1429sq m of commercial space.
The Market Hall is within the primary core of Bolton’s shopping area and together with the 1980’s Market Place forms one of the major shopping centres in the town.
Developers Warners Estate Holdings were granted planning permission last year and the scheme is expected to be completed by 2008.
Magnificent new archway greets Bolton visitors
A magnificent new archway now greets visitors to Bolton town centre from the south. The arch spans the rebuilt Newport Street Bridge which links the rail and bus interchange with the town centre.
It’s all part of a £22M scheme to regenerate the south side of the centre and provide a welcoming gateway for visitors.
Work on modernising the interior of the railway station continues and the bus station is being entirely rebuilt to improve facilities.
The interchange will be linked via a floodlit boulevard taking visitors beneath the arch to Victoria Square and Bolton’s shopping and cultural heart.
Centre of attraction
Bolton Town Centre offers more than just shopping. The nationally renowned Octagon Theatre and Bolton Museum, Art Gallery and Aquarium are just some of the leisure attractions available. And outside the town centre the mediaeval houses of Smithills Hall and Hall i’th’Wood attract thousands of visitors.
Plans for a £40M ‘Cultural Quarter’ based around the classical architecture of Le Mans Crescent are designed to extend the cultural pursuits in the town.
It includes a new Creative Arts centre for which a bid for lottery funding has been submitted by Bolton Council. If successful, it will provide a dramatic new venue for live music; shows and exhibitions and will also offer work space for creative businesses and provide a meeting place with a café, bar and much more.
The creative industries are an important part of the borough’s economy and the Cultural Quarter will enhance their importance.