Have your say on where Bolton’s new homes and jobs will go

Bolton Council has published the version of the plan it intends to submit to the Government for independent examination. Comments can be made for six weeks from Thursday 15 October until 11.59pm on Thursday 26 November 2026.

After the consultation the Council will decide whether to submit the plan for examination.

If it does, every comment will go in full to the independent Inspector.

Comments made at earlier stages of consultation have helped shape the plan but do not carry forward, so the council is encouraging people to comment during this phase of consultation, even if they have responded before.

What the plan proposes

The plan provides for a minimum of 787 new homes a year across the period to 2042, the figure set for Bolton by Places for Everyone, the joint plan of nine Greater Manchester districts adopted in 2024. It also identifies land for jobs, including a further 147,497 square metres of industrial and warehousing floorspace to be found through new allocations and better use of existing employment sites.

Growth is directed mainly to four places.

The first focus is Central Bolton, aligned with the council’s ongoing regeneration program and clear feedback from residents in favour of a busier and more vibrant town centre.

The other areas are Health Innovation Bolton beside the Royal Bolton Hospital; the NorthFold employment locations in the west of the borough; and at Middlebrook.

The plan changes the Green Belt boundary at four locations only: Health Innovation Bolton, the Blackrod Employment Cluster, the Logistics North Extension, and land off The Alders at Tonge Moor to provide homes for Travelling Showpeople.

Land released from the Green Belt must contribute funding to secure improvements to the Green Belt that remains nearby.

Any new developments will have to fund the school places, health capacity, transport improvements and open space it creates demand for, and land is safeguarded for two new primary schools.

The plan sets affordable housing requirements with social rent as the priority, asks for homes that are accessible and adaptable, and controls houses in multiple occupation.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said:

“Development will happen in Bolton whether or not we have a plan. Without one, those decisions are led by national policy, on sites that the people of Bolton had no say on.  

“With a plan, we decide where new homes and jobs go, what has to come with them, and what we protect.

“This plan puts the town centre first, asks developers to pay for the schools, health services and transport we need, and changes the Green Belt in four places only. There are no easy choices in it, and we want people to tell us what they think.”

How to take part

The plan, the Policies Map, the supporting documents, a short video and answers to frequently asked questions are at Emerging local plan – Bolton Council. Comments can be made online, by email or by post, using the representation form on the same page.

Paper copies of the plan can be seen at the Town Hall One Stop Shop and at libraries across the borough.

Officers will be at drop-in events with the plan and the Policies Map to help people understand the proposals and to support them to respond:

The consultation closes at 11.59pm on Thursday 26 November 2026. Comments received after that cannot be accepted.

Emerging local plan – Bolton Council

What happens next

After the consultation closes the Council will consider every comment and decide whether to submit the plan to the Government. If it does, every comment goes to an independent Inspector, who will hold hearings in public, expected during 2027, and recommend any changes needed before the plan can be adopted.