New direct route to Middlebrook and other improvements under ambitious 10 year plan
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, along with leaders of the ten authorities, unveiled the shared the city region’s blueprint for a greener, fairer future.
For Bolton this means improved transport links to connect the town.
And as part of the changes, Bolton will see the creation of a new Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which the council says will “drive forward further growth and regeneration” in the town centre.
MDCs are also being brought in across other boroughs.
Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Nick Peel, said: “Bolton is a place with a proud history and a unique identity, but we are also proud to be a vital part of Greater Manchester, a city region with a global reach.
“With the launch of the Greater Manchester Strategy, we now have a collective vision for the next decade – creating a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life.
“To achieve these goals, we’ve forged a partnership that’s stronger than the sum of its parts, spanning the public, private, voluntary, community, faith, social enterprise, and academic sectors.
“What is most exciting is that this is a clear plan to deliver tangible benefits that will make a real difference in the day-to-day lives of Bolton residents.”
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Cllr Peel added: “As part of the strategy, Bolton has committed to: Improving bus services to connect people in Bolton with jobs and opportunities – linking the east of the borough with Logistics North and a direct route from the town centre to Middlebrook.
“Creating a Bolton Mayoral Development Corporation to drive forward further growth and regeneration in Bolton town centre.
“Progressing the regeneration of Hulton Park to secure long-term investment and improved infrastructure in that part of the borough.
“By delivering in these areas we can grow the economy and ensure people can live well in Bolton and across the region.
“Together we are Greater Manchester.”
As part of the vision there will be a new underground transport services and a flagship underground station at Manchester Piccadilly.
The Mayor set out plans to put housing first by unlocking land for thousands of new homes, and pledged that, by 2027, Greater Manchester will be building more social housing than it is losing through Right to Buy.
Mr Burnham said: “Our first decade of devolution has shown how much we can achieve by working together. We’re the UK’s fastest growing economy and stand on the cusp of what I believe could be our best decade since the Victorian era
“Our task for the next decade is to build a platform for success for all our residents. “We’ve never believed in a ‘trickle-down’ model of growth here – that if a few people and places do well then, somehow, that will benefit everyone. We know we will only change the fortunes of all our people and places if we’re prepared to intervene and fix the foundations of life.
“That means making sure everyone has a healthy home, in a safe and welcoming community; it means offering people support to tackle the everyday stresses and strains of life; and it means helping all our young people to fulfil their potential by providing a clear line of sight to great jobs in our growing economy, with strong technical routes as well as academic ones. All this must be underpinned by a low-fare public transport system, connecting people to opportunities.
“We’ve proved that we’re ready to forge our own place-based solutions and the Government has recognised this by making us the UK’s first ‘Prevention Demonstrator’. We’ll develop a better way of delivering public services, treating people as names not numbers and creating the conditions for everyone to live well, rather than waiting until people are in crisis to offer support.
“Our vision is ambitious, but in my eight years as Mayor, I’ve learned that, when we pull together, there’s nothing we can’t achieve. There’s a long and proud tradition of collaboration in Greater Manchester. Devolution has turbocharged that and now we’re ready to deliver a new model of growth where no one is left behind.”
Source – INDIA TV
