Farnworth Town Centre Masterplan Baseline Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
1 Revision B Farnworth Town Centre Masterplan Baseline Report: Farnworth Today January 2019 2 Farnworth Town Centre Masterplan January 2019 Aerial View of Farnworth Town Centre January 2019 Farnworth Town Centre Masterplan 3 Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction 9 2 Town Centre Trends 11 3 Property and Market Analysis 21 4 Planning and Policy Context 35 5 Townscape Analysis 41 6 Opportunity Areas 55 Revision A Revision B Date 24 October 2018 09 January 2019 Project Reference 3000138 3000138 Preparewd by AM/CW AM/CW Checked by FPG FPG 4 Farnworth Town Centre Masterplan January 2019 4 Executive Summary January 2019 Farnworth Town Centre Masterplan 5 Executive Summary Introduction enterprises, all of which should be designed to function as Farnworth Town Centre Challenges intergenerational spaces. Farnworth town centre is the second largest town centre Whilst the population of Farnworth is expected to grow, in the Borough after Bolton town centre and has been ‘The Portas Review: An Independent Review into the town centre continues to experience the impacts nominated by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council WKH)XWXUHRIRXU+LJK6WUHHWVn FRQÞUPVWKLV of a lack of investment in non-food retail and leisure (‘the Council’) for the Greater Manchester Town Centre requirement, reimagining town centres as ‘destinations uses, which impacts the liveliness of the town centre Challenge Initiative, which aims to regenerate town for socialising, culture, health, wellbeing, creativity and and decreases footfall. This is of course not unique to centres across the conurbation. learning’ as well as ‘places that will develop and sustain Farnworth. new and existing markets and businesses’. The Public BDP and BE Group have been commissioned by the Health England’s report: ‘Healthy High Streets: Good Politicians, policy makers and members of the public have Council to produce a town centre Masterplan which Place-making in an Urban Setting’ (2018) recognises that long expressed concerns about the future performance of will consider key ‘opportunities areas’ for the future healthy high streets are assets that promote and improve town centres and high streets. The risk to vitality of town development of the town centre. the health of local residents and users and the wider local FHQWUHVKDVLQUHFHQW\HDUVEHHQDPSOLÞHGE\DGUDPDWLF community. To achieve such improvements, they are change in the retail sector over the past few years, in Whilst Farnworth town centre has a number of strong required to feature good quality design and furniture and particular the growth of on-line shopping, paired with loss assets, such as a selection of national food retailers, a provide accessible, safe communal spaces that can be of variety and diversity in the local retail offer. leisure centre including pools, a library and a university used to create healthier, safer and more cohesive local FDPSXVDQGKDVKDGVLJQLÞFDQWUHFHQWLQYHVWPHQWLQD communities. Notwithstanding these changes, communities are new bus station and other public realm improvements, aware of successful city and town centres that have there is a concern that there are high levels of vacancy in The Greater Manchester Mayor’s Town Centre Challenge incorporated new leisure, cultural, community and the shop units and that the town centre is not performing Initiative, which was introduced in 2017, reinforces the business spaces and reinventing themselves as attractive as well as it could. The focus of this commission therefore trend to support town centres through the process of places to visit, and are demanding some of the same is to develop a vision for redevelopment of the town regeneration in a way that they can be healthier places. from their local centres. centre that maximises its potential. The Initiative is a response to recent changes in the retail property market leading to the decline of town centres, To ensure a sustainable future for Farnworth town centre, and the need for planning positively for town centres there is a need to ensure that footfall generating uses Town Centre Trends with more new homes and non-retail offers. The initiative are retained and new attractions introduced in the town aims to regenerate smaller town centres across the centre, together with the right social infrastructure exist to Across the UK, town centres are facing challenges conurbation, to be cost-effective locations of businesses, support the existing and future community. to their future vitality and viability. Many town centres housing and leisure, not only across Greater Manchester are suffering from falling retail sales, reduced footfall, but more regionally. Since the announcement of the rising vacancies and high maintenance costs. As such, initiative to date, seven town centres across Greater Market Analysis there is a strong emphasis on the requirement for town Manchester have been nominated and Farnworth is one Housing Market centres to become places of more diverse attractions, of them. providing a range of different activities and uses such as shops, housing, leisure, vibrant food and drink offers, House prices and rents in Farnworth are below average, social and community hubs and commercial and cultural and prices/rents have seen only modest recent growth. However, there is a strong local rental market, currently 6 Farnworth Town Centre Masterplan January 2019 focused on the existing terraced stock and achieving occupiers are more likely to look towards Bolton and Policy Position rents of £450-550/pcm. The apartment market is limited other Greater Manchester towns for retail space. DWSUHVHQWDOWKRXJKWKLVLVIHOWWREHDUHßHFWLRQRIWKH Stakeholders do suggest that the current modest market 7KH%ROWRQ0%&&RUH6WUDWHJ\LGHQWLÞHV)DUQZRUWKWRZQ very low-quality stock on offer rather than a lack of may be a function of a lack of supply of modern retail centre as a special area for renewal and so Farnworth is demand. units rather than poor demand and that if modern space the focus for regeneration initiatives and efforts to secure LVEURXJKWIRUZDUGLWFRXOGEHÞOOHG$JHQWVZHUHXQVXUH investment and development to improve the town 1HZßDWVFRXOGGRPXFKWRUHYLWDOLVHWKHORFDOPDUNHW whether the focus should be on traditional retail, leisure, centre. but would likely need to focus on private renters trade or a mix of the three. and more affordable markets. Interest from housing The Core Strategy plans for 12,492 additional dwellings associations, including Bolton at Home, and developers Food is provided at a range of pubs, focused along within Borough by 2026, out of which 35-45% is of older persons housing was noted. Students would Higher Market Street and of varying quality. The SODQQHGIRUWKHLGHQWLÞHGUHQHZDODUHDV7KH&RUH be another potential market and would ideally be main alternatives are takeaways and bakeries. These Strategy also seeks to safeguard and enhance parks accessible to the local train stations and bus routes, comprise the limited evening economy offer, failing to and gardens and improve the quality and multi-functional with convenient access both to Bolton and into meet local need or aspirations and offering little which EHQHÞWVRIWKHVHDVVHWVZKLFKLVUHOHYDQWWR)DUQZRUWK Manchester and Salford. It was felt that whole block WRDWWUDFWSDVVLQJWUDGHRUYLVLWRUVIURPIXUWKHUDÞHOG Policy RA2 of the Core Strategy promotes a mix of GHYHORSPHQWVRIßDWVZRXOGEHPRUHOLNHO\WRVHOOOHW There is modest interest in the location from national retailing, leisure, employment, public service and housing than refurbishments or small-scale schemes above food chains, although not necessarily with a town centre uses for Farnworth town centre. shops. focus. Private gyms offer another growth area, with one gym recently opened and interest from another franchise 7KH)DUQZRUWK(FRQRPLF%DVHOLQH5HSRUWFRQÞUPV In terms of new housing for sale, recent developments chain. Farnworth as a key target for regeneration as it is one have focused away from the town centre. Unmet of the most deprived areas of Bolton. The report seeks demand remains for 2-3 bedroom properties, and 2IÞFH0DUNHW to ensure that housing offer in the Borough meets the two volume housebuilders contacted for this study needs of community whilst supporting economic growth expressed interest in the location. Miller House on Market Street is being refurbished to and recognises that in Farnworth, the focus should be provide micro business suites. Initial marketing suggests on improving the quality of private sector housing, to Retail and Leisure Market UHDVRQDEOHGHPDQGIRUWZRSHUVRQRIÞFHVXLWHVIURP bring social housing stock up to decent homes standard local start-ups, who don’t want to travel into Bolton and and to ensure a supply of affordable homes. The second retail centre of Bolton Borough, Farnworth pay higher rates. However, with 37 suites to be delivered has a strong convenience offer, but is under-represented here, there appears little need for further provisio¬n to A previous masterplan was developed for part of in most comparison sectors apart from household be made in the short term. Farnworth town centre in 2015. This was a partnership goods, electrical, DIY/hardware and motor accessories. between Bolton Council, St. Modwen (owners of the Such sectors are however likely to be vulnerable to Farnworth Market Precinct) and Transport for Greater e-commerce moving forward, as are banks and building Manchester (TfGM) and proposed a redevelopment societies which are still represented in Farnworth. of the vacated Farnworth Market site along with parts of Farnworth Precinct, to create an expanded retail Local