Bolton lands £17M for major logistics hub bringing thousands of jobs
The £17.1M will go towards the huge west of Wingates project, which planners hope will create around 6,900 new jobs through a new 800,000 sq.ft logistics hub
This will be one of 30 projects to be powered by a new Greater Manchester “Good Growth Fund” announced by Andy Burnham this week.
Bolton Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said: “I think it’s a really important announcement because it underlines the fact that the Greater Manchester economy, which is one of the strongest in the country, is about the 10 boroughs not just Manchester.
“So it’s inclusive of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, including Bolton.
West of Wingates will be one of 30 projects to receive funding across Greater Manchester (Image: Newsquest)
“It’s important as well that Greater Manchester has outlined the future strategy rather than drip feeding it.”
Turning to the West of Wingates development, Cllr Peel added: “Our strategy isn’t just about housing, it’s about employment growth as well.
“And we know that Bolton is proving to be a very attractive place of business to relocate to.”
Cllr Peel said this was thanks to the high skills of the potential workforce and drew on the examples of MBDA, Astemo and others.
As well as driving growth in what has now been dubbed the NorthFold Growth Location, formally known as the Bolton-Wigan Growth Corridor there will also be works in the town centre.
The strategy will include creating a new Mayoral Development Corporation that will aim to drive growth and the creation of new homes and jobs in central Bolton.
Other priority schemes included in the strategy’s pipeline include the demolition of Crompton Place to be replaced with new housing and office space.
It will also look at driving forward the Lee Hall development, which aims to build 450 new homes, 157 of which developers say will be affordable, as part of the Hulton Park scheme.
Cllr Peel said that plans for new housing units and businesses in Bolton town centre are “well underway” already thanks to schemes like Church Wharf and Crompton Place.
In a speech delivered in Stockport on Thursday November 20, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham unveiled plans for the first wave of projects worth around £400M.
He said this will deliver nearly 3,000 homes, more than 22,000 jobs, and 2 million square feet of employment space.
Mr Burnham said: Greater Manchester is the UK’s economic success story of the past decade.
“Powered by devolution, our journey of growth has transformed our city region and is opening up opportunities that people could not have imagined 30 years ago.
“But we know that the real test of good growth is whether every person and every place feels the benefits.
“We’ve never believed in a busted ‘trickle-down’ theory that puts the pursuit of pure economic growth above the basic needs of our communities.
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“And growth in Greater Manchester has never been an end in itself, it’s a means of improving lives by creating new opportunities and broadening access to them.
“We know we will only change the fortunes of our people and places by getting on with fixing the things national politics has neglected.
“That’s why we’ve used our trailblazing devolution deals to put public services back in service of the public, becoming the first region in 40 years to bring buses under local control.
“And it’s why Greater Manchester is ready to pioneer a new model for economic growth – unlocking investment to build new homes, create good jobs, deliver infrastructure, and providing the everyday support that will enable everyone to live a good life.
“Good growth is the defining challenge of our age and today we are setting out a serious, practical plan to achieve it.”
Source – INDIA TV
