Purpose

The designation of an MDC is considered an appropriate mechanism to support regeneration, improve coordination, strengthen delivery capacity, unlock stalled sites and help deliver economic growth and wider regeneration benefits for Bolton and Greater Manchester.

Establishing the Bolton Town Centre Mayoral Development Corporation will amplify the profile of Bolton’s town centre programme both regionally and nationally to attract future investment, demand and growth. It will act as a single institutional platform for regeneration activity across the Town Centre and front-door for engagement with stakeholders, developers and investors. Furthermore, establishing the Mayoral Development Corporation would coordinate activity on the delivery programme, enabling the delivery of optimal outcomes. It will also provide a long-term strategic vision and programme for the Town Centre, demonstrating commitment to delivery to provide developer and investor confidence.

Following a public consultation that closed 30th March 2026, a number of recurring themes were identified, including changes to the proposed boundary, concerns over accountability, value for money, and the potential impact of future development on local services. The need for strong governance, accountability and transparency is recognised and reflected in the proposed MDC model. A formal constitution will define roles, responsibilities and decision-making powers, with checks and balances in place from the outset. Elected Member representation, scrutiny arrangements and ongoing engagement will help ensure decisions reflect local priorities and maintain public confidence.

These matters have been carefully considered as part of the assessment of consultation responses and after careful review, it is considered that these concerns do not outweigh the significant benefits that the MDC can bring. Consultation responses demonstrated very strong support for the creation of the MDC, with 78.79% of respondents agreeing that an MDC for the Bolton Town Centre area would support development, growth, and improvements across Bolton.

Decision

The Mayor;
1. Noted and considered the results of the consultation exercise in respect of the designation of a Mayoral Development Corporation in Bolton.
2. Noted a statutory consultation has taken place with all GM constituent councils and each Member of Parliament whose parliamentary constituency contains any part of the area.
3. Agreed to endorse the response to the consultation set out in section 5 of this report.
4. Noted that Bolton Council will consider if they support the proposal at their meeting on 28th September 2026.
5. Supported the proposal and approved the designation moving to the next phase of the approval process, noting that a report will then be laid before the GMCA stating that the Mayor proposes to designate the area identified at Appendix 1 of this report as a Mayoral Development Area.
6. Agreed to approve to designate the Mayoral development area for Bolton, subject to the GMCA approving and Bolton Council endorsing the proposal and to notify the Secretary of State of the designation and the name to be given to the Mayoral Development Corporation, as follows: “Bolton Town Centre Mayoral Development Corporation”

Alternative options considered

A detailed options review was undertaken with officers from Bolton Council before GMCA agreed in principle in January 2026 to the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation for Bolton Town Centre. No alternative option is recommended because the MDC is considered the most appropriate delivery vehicle to support the scale, coordination and pace of regeneration required.