This year will see a major step forward in the ongoing regeneration of Bolton.

Vibrant urban neighbourhoods, a technology innovation hub and a £40m skills training centre are among the many projects that will be completed in 2024.

Residential developments, creating new places for people to live in the town centre, are key to the council’s regeneration plans and two major sites will reach significant milestones over the next 12 months.

Along St George's Road and Bark Street, work to create 58 three and four-bedroom modern townhouses is due to be completed early in the year.

A major phase of the Moor Lane development is also due for completion in 2024 while work will also start on the site's new apartment blocks.

Moore Lane will ultimately provide 218 apartments and townhouses, including 82 affordable homes, as well as commercial units and new public realm incorporating green space, extensive planting, and seating.

New town centre residents will have plenty to do thanks to the official openings of Elizabeth Park, a renovated Central Library, an expanded market, a new food hall, and the transformed Wellsprings building, all scheduled for this year.

Due to open its doors in early 2024, the new-look Bolton Central Library will boast a new café, an expanded children's area, improved social spaces, updated digital facilities and a new mezzanine floor.

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Over the road, a food hall and expanded outdoor area will open at Bolton Market, making the award-winning venue an even more desirable retail and leisure destination.

Also opening early in the year, visitors to the newly created Elizabeth Park on the former Odeon cinema site will be able to enjoy seating areas, picnic tables and a performance space.

The Wellsprings office building, next to the Octagon, and close to the Town Hall, is being converted into a £11.18m modern, flexible workspace for digital and creative start-ups and is scheduled for completion during summer 2024.

All four projects have been supported by the government’s Towns Fund.

2024 will also see announcements on plans for Church Wharf and at Westpoint, another key regeneration site off Moor Lane and Garside Street.

Away from the town centre, significant investment has also been made in the borough's district centres with a number of projects designed to meet the needs and priorities of the local communities.

It will be a particularly busy 2024 in Farnworth where two major developments are set to open their doors.

The Bolton Institute of Medical Sciences will welcome its first students in September and will train 3,000 learners a year for clinical healthcare roles, including nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, nutrition and more.

The £40m project, backed by the government’s Levelling Up fund, is collaborative project between the University of Bolton, Bolton College, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and the council.

Linked to this is an ambitious bid for a new autonomous transport link between the hospital and the town centre to improve access and sustainable travel links.

Another major project is also taking shape at Farnworth Green on the site of the former precinct, with work scheduled to be completed towards the end of the year.

Created by renowned developers CAPITAL&CENTRIC, the £24m neighbourhood will feature 97 homes, independent retailers, cafés, and green outdoor spaces.

A huge milestone will also be reached at Horwich Loco Works, one of the largest brownfield sites in the UK and key priority for Bolton Council.

The link road connecting the development to Middlebrook will pave the way for 1,700 houses and commercial space.