This document summarizes the findings and recommendations from a review of town centres across Greater Manchester. It identifies challenges facing town centres, including the rise of online shopping and out-of-town developments. The review aimed to analyze each town centre's unique challenges and recommend strategic interventions. For Bolton specifically, the review endorsed the town centre strategy to focus on attracting offices and consolidating retail, but said more needed to be done. New interventions proposed for Bolton include supporting the office market, improving culture/leisure, public realm, and town centre living. Private sector engagement and ongoing projects indicate support and progress on implementing Bolton's strategy.

1. A developer’s perspective
Mike Horner
Regional Director
Muse Developments

2. FUTURE OF TOWN CENTRES
THE GREATER MANCHESTER RESPONSE
KEITH DAVIES – DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION, BOLTON COUNCIL

3. Greater Manchester Town
Centres Review

5. GM Town Centres Project
• BLC’s Town Centre Study 2010 identified factors
causing reduced economic contribution of principal
town centres
• Out of town development
• Prominence of regional centre
• Decline in quality of the retail offer
• Decline in attraction for office/commercial devt
• Decline in Leisure attractions
• Increasing dependence on public sector for investment
and development

6. Project Aims
• Analysing the challenges facing each town centre –
bad everywhere
• Constructive challenge between local decision makers
and external reviewers – is strategy right?
• Recommend key strategic interventions
• Identify schemes that could be supported by GMIF
• Identify common themes/issues that can be dealt
with at a GM level
• Recognises different starting points of town centres

8. From changing consumer
and retail trends

9. Navigating through “A Perfect Storm”
• Economic environment generally
• 2003 to 2012 e-commerce accounted for over half of retail
growth – 2013 faster growth
• Out of town shopping locally and regionally - forecasting 21% less
retails space and 31% fewer stores demanded in town centres by
2020
• Business rates set at level when values were high and revaluation
deferred
• Rental values – distant landlords don’t know local market
• Issues affecting towns and cities
• Series of additional interventions needed

11. Different interventions required
Places matter: places are different:
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Bury – visitor destination, market, linking its attractions
Stockport – a TC focus for the South Manchester office market
Bolton – in town office and commercial focus for North GM
Altrincham – modern market town, Cheshire catchment
Wigan – discrete and self contained, potential to attract customers
beyond GM
Oldham – unique combination of Hotel
Futures, theatre, cinema, Metrolink on high street, museum
Rochdale – re-opening river, heritage themes
Ashton – strength of markets and geographic location
New and different uses are key - transformational thinking is critical

12. GM Recommendations and Next Steps
• Implementation plans focusing on
– Updating individual town centre strategies and bringing forward
new investment propositions
– Creation of new Investment Fund designed around needs of town
centres
– Marketing; car parking; business rates; client management of large
multiples; etc
– roll out of best practice in all town centres
• GM Capacity and Skills – collective framework and actions to be
developed
• Governance – GMCA and LEP, Chief Executives
• What view emerged from the independent review of Bolton’s strategy
to restructure the town centre?

13. Case Study - Bolton

14. Bolton Town Centre
• Town Centre Strategy developed based on driving office
occupancy to town centre and consolidating offer in retail and
civic core – less but better
• Prioritised in Core Strategy and Economic Strategy - 2011
• Developments completed – Innovation Zone – next slide shows
transformation
• Bolton Transport Interchange/Bolton Market
• Developers still progressing proposals for Merchants Quarter
and Church Wharf
• Successful campaigns and events
• GM Town Centres Review endorsed Strategy but we have to
do more

15. Bolton Knowledge
Quarter 2009
Bolton Knowledge
Quarter 2013

16. BOLTON MARKET

17. Design Review
Artist Impressions 03

18. BOLTON TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE

20. New Interventions
• Feedback from stakeholders including Economic Partnership,
Town Centre Leadership Board, Chamber
• Build on strengths – University, Market, Culture, Brand
• Leaving to the market is not an option
• Council has set aside significant one off resources to support
investment priorities
• Supported by GM Implementation Plan
• Capacity – regional agencies, Local Enterprise Partnership,
GMP, private sector expertise
• Developing a GM Town Centres Investment Fund – more
flexible than GMIF
• Town Centre Strategy report approved by Cabinet in June

21. Investment Priorities
• Creating a stronger town centre office market – using Council
stock and support new build Grade A – Actions
• Consolidate retail core and attract independents with a
Bolton identity
• Further improvements to leisure and cultural offer – Octagon
Theatre, Museum, Albert Halls, supporting new Cinema
• Further improvements to the public realm – key gateways
and routes e.g. from new transport interchange
• Town Centre Living – HCA, sites to market, student
accommodation

22. Investment Priorities
• Developing the “Town Centre Campaign” – free
parking, retailer offers, extending events, marketing
• Acquisition of property and development sites
• Developing funding/loan schemes to support unit
refurbishment and fit out
• Using Council property to attract occupiers
• PSP joint venture investment scheme in place
• Targeting uses – e.g. restaurants, independent retail
• Trying to stop extension of alcohol only premises
• Series of specific actions to deliver the strategy

23. Private Sector Engagement
• Private sector partners on the Bolton Economic
Partnership were asked to consider what they could do
to support the interventions
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Can you direct business to the town centre?
Will you support our work to engage agents and landlords?
Can you help inform or critique our action plan?
Market intelligence to help work up investment propositions?
• Broad support for Strategy
• Gateways a prominent issue

24. Town Centre Programme – Good Progress
• Demolition programme for Interchange started 19th Nov – proposal to
deliver commercial development moving forward
• Bolton Market refurbishment almost complete
• Independent Cinema report completed and demonstrates viability
• Market Place Shopping Centre in new ownership - cinema and associated
restaurant offer integral to plans
• New 40,000 sq ft office development announced for Asons Solicitors
• Crompton Place investment programme underway
• Business Support scheme approved and now being promoted
• Masterplan being developed with University re student accommodation
• Strategic site acquisitions – terms agreed
• Public realm improvements underway

25. Key Messages
• Face the reality – town centres will never be what they
were 30 years ago
• Get jobs back in to the town centre – footfall
• Look after your key retail partners – listen and deliver
• Be very clear about your investment priorities – clarity and
commitment
• Intervene – leaving it to the market won’t work
• Resources – pool what there is to make an impact
• High level political and executive ownership
• The market will respond – Bolton Market Place, Cinema
proposals, new office development etc.

26. Views and Questions?