Just had a meeting on Churchgate. Sad to see the Bolton News offices empty. And in a week or two the Travel Counsellors building opposite will be empty. Another 200+ people spending approx £20 per week on parking and lunches in the town... plus whatever other services they spend their hard-earned on - all being lost. Very sad state of affairs.

 

When will it get better? Should these empty offices be turned into apartments?

How many wig shops are there in town? Is there that much demand? New one opened on Tonge Moor Rd now.

1 hour ago, L/H White said:

online shopping is the killer reason for town centres, they're all shite

why drive into town and pay for parking when I can get it sent to my door within a few hours

pound bakery, vape shope, nail shop, barbers and repeat

flatten them all and build some mosques imo

Its not just online shopping. The idea that town centre's thrive only on retail isn't quite correct, there are a mutitude of factors.

You have to resepct market realities, and one of those is that old fashioned department stores don't thrive because people do have more choice online. A mix of independent stores that aren't available elsewhere, and some of the high street staples should make up the centre. The reason why Bury does well is that the mix of the market (independant, local, can't get elswehere - destination shopping) and high street in a modern design (the rock) mean it caters for a mix, and both need each other. Also, understand the mix of people in Bolton, there is money but there is also poverty and that it suddenly isn't going to be Manchester. What makes the place unique - make mnore of these, and its people.

Multiple use facilities, keeps rent down and allows the community greater access to spaces, mix this with comfort (easy to navigate (not huge distances between areas) and convienece (free/cheap parking and regular shuttle buses from places further out of the centre)

Invest in some decent landscaping, make it a nice place to be at night as well as during the day. Invite the community to invest in this with public consulation lead byu sector leaders and examples of town centre projects that have worked. 

Invest more in the jewels of the centre - Le Mans, The Museum, The Octogan, Bolton Market all of these can (and should) bring more visitors to not only come to these but invest in both the day and night time economy. Invest in more public events. The Food Festival is rightly launded, why not have free (but ticketed) outside film showings in the summer holidays? local retailers event - bring a market day back to the centre for independant traders that live in the town and sell online as well - give people the space to promote what they do (on the empty lents do month long low cost rents for local businesses as pop ups) a local music event - like a Camden Crawl but in Bolton, involve the pubs in the centre, bring in sponsorship and invite some of the more local heavyweights to bring in more people.

Involve the University more - I'm sure there is a lot more that can be done. The Uni want more students, they will get more if Bolton is a more attractive place to study.

This is just top of the head stuff, and council don't have time and money, so there does need to be indepedent business investment, but this won't happen if it's not backed up and supported by the council then it will always be an unattractive proposition.

There is a lot there, it needs the right people being brought in, the right people who are already there brought together and a comitment by the council to make it a priority - then tell the town this and get them involved. A town centre isn't built in committee rooms but by the people who live there.

 

2 hours ago, Carlos said:

How many wig shops are there in town? Is there that much demand? New one opened on Tonge Moor Rd now.

There used to be one next to Dance Factory didn't there......Dimples I think it was called, that's going back few years though

Just been into the market for some scran, noticed a new place 'The Chip Factory' / 'Chip n Go', tiny litte place on outskirts, beltin.

Chicken noodle dish £4, and Chips and beef steak stew £5.

Bang on, and a bargain.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/20097905.new-bolton-chip-shop-opens-bolton-market/

Edited August 11, 20223 yr by Pablo

3 minutes ago, Pablo said:

Just been into the market for some scran, noticed a new place 'The Chip Factory' / 'Chip n Go', tiny litte place on outskirts, beltin.

Chicken noodle dish £4, and Chips and beef steak stew £5.

Bang on, and a bargain.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/20097905.new-bolton-chip-shop-opens-bolton-market/

Well, you've told us what your starters were.  What did you have as a main?

2 minutes ago, DazBob said:

Well, you've told us what your starters were.  What did you have as a main?

Ya tinker....im on a diet, so just had a diet coke....

On 10/08/2022 at 11:37, mickbrown said:

Aye. People forgetting it was rough as fuck on a Friday and Saturday night in the late 80s. So much so I remember them deploying police horses in the town centre at one point.

in the 90s, me and teenage horwich mates would either go out in horwich or wigan, bolton was shite compared to both

as for town centres now

Stockport does alright for itself despite online shopping, sateliite retail parks, trafford centre and being a 10 min train ride from Manc with a train every 5 mins 

but posted a link recently to show that Wigan is massively on it's arse as well

no idea why like, but some places still seem to do alright for themselves

Don't think I've been to Trafford Centre since I was 16/17 the novelty soon wore off.

Town will always attract a lot of people for the high Profile events, Ironman, food festival etc but to think people will come from far and wide to see Le man’s crescent, the octagon, museum etc a regular basis is delusional. It’s to far gone in my opinion. You can’t polish a turd.

Just now, royal white said:

Town will always attract a lot of people for the high Profile events, Ironman, food festival etc but to think people will come from far and wide to see Le man’s crescent, the octagon, museum etc a regular basis is delusional. It’s to far gone in my opinion. You can’t polish a turd.

But you can, at the very least, roll it in glitter.

10 minutes ago, royal white said:

Town will always attract a lot of people for the high Profile events, Ironman, food festival etc but to think people will come from far and wide to see Le man’s crescent, the octagon, museum etc a regular basis is delusional. It’s to far gone in my opinion. You can’t polish a turd.

Delusional? The Octogon is an income generator for the town - its daft that people simply ignore the economic imapact of it. well, it shows that most people think its its not for them, its not for anyone. Also the museum has recently had a over million pound revamp, its one of the leading regional museums of it's kind - its footfall does not match this and it needs more help.

What is sad, is that some people just give up on the actual assets the town has - and it has plenty.

 

31 minutes ago, Zico said:

in the 90s, me and teenage horwich mates would either go out in horwich or wigan, bolton was shite compared to both

as for town centres now

Stockport does alright for itself despite online shopping, sateliite retail parks, trafford centre and being a 10 min train ride from Manc with a train every 5 mins 

but posted a link recently to show that Wigan is massively on it's arse as well

no idea why like, but some places still seem to do alright for themselves

Because they invest in what they have (not what they want to be) involve the community and employ the right people to the right roles.

Bradford is really on the right path and they been working really hard on their cultural capital rather than trying to directly compete with Leeds, because they simply can't but that doesn't mean there isn't an offer there for local people.

Our thick as fook council make awful decisions with every opportunity. It's quite uncanny really.

Edited August 11, 20223 yr by deane koontz

in fact - its even more than I thought. For every £1 the council invest in the venue, it generates £48 gross value added. Since the revamp that's $8.4 million generated for Bolton.

 

16 minutes ago, Not in Crawley said:

Delusional? The Octogon is an income generator for the town - its daft that people simply ignore the economic imapact of it. well, it shows that most people think its its not for them, its not for anyone. Also the museum has recently had a over million pound revamp, its one of the leading regional museums of it's kind - its footfall does not match this and it needs more help.

What is sad, is that some people just give up on the actual assets the town has - and it has plenty.

 

Massively 

2 minutes ago, royal white said:

Massively 

Have a look at the figures, lad.

Not taken your family? Too busy pulling their kecks down in front of their class or chucking them into lakes 😂

43 minutes ago, deane koontz said:

Our thick as fook council make awful decisions with every opportunity. It's quite uncanny really.

27 minutes ago, Not in Crawley said:

Have a look at the figures, lad.

Not taken your family? Too busy pulling their kecks down in front of their class or chucking them into lakes 😂

So do you think people will come from far and wide on a regular basis to see the Le Mans cres, sit in the octagon or go to the museum? 
 

And if I said to the boys we are not going outdoor swimming today lads we are going to Bolton Museum they would disown me. 

Stockton on tees knocked down the shopping centre and is building a park, moving shops into existing retail units. Council basically said the retail battle is lost but we can make it a destination in other ways. Had an empty shopping arcade, charged 50 quid a week for a unit it's now full of micro pubs and bars. Did up the old theatre which has been massive success (huge chance missed by bolton Council and the old odeon cinema) puts on loads of well attended events. It's a rough town with probably poorer prospects then Bolton and a huge out of town retail park. Council have been prepared to try new stuff though and so far it's helping. Even middlesbrough has purchased a terraced street and filled it full of bars and restaurants that do very .. the market hall vaults was a fair idea aimed at a market that didn't exist though. Bolton isn't on its own but other councils are light years ahead. Like Zico mentioned with Stockport, built a foodhall there, few bars and a foodie Friday has changed the town centre. When I worked there no one went to town for a drink now my Facebook is full of ex colleagues out in Stockport. It's a shame with Bolton but it could be turned around.

has anyone been in the Done up £400'000 Wetherspoons 

dose it look any Different 

46 minutes ago, royal white said:

So do you think people will come from far and wide on a regular basis to see the Le Mans cres, sit in the octagon or go to the museum? 
 

And if I said to the boys we are not going outdoor swimming today lads we are going to Bolton Museum they would disown me. 

I think that probably says more about you than them.

The two aren't mutually exclusive, you know.

2 minutes ago, Not in Crawley said:

I think that probably says more about you than them.

The two aren't mutually exclusive, you know.

I know that but you made out they were when asking if I was to busy 
 

Also I think giving kids an option of what they want to do is a good thing, if your kids like going to theatres fair play, mine can’t sit still for 2 mins, I’ll leave the theatre for the school the school trips. 
 

Out of interest how often do you bring your kids up to look at Le Mans Crescent? 

2 minutes ago, royal white said:

I know that but you made out they were when asking if I was to busy 
 

Also I think giving kids an option of what they want to do is a good thing, if your kids like going to theatres fair play, mine can’t sit still for 2 mins, I’ll leave the theatre for the school the school trips. 
 

Out of interest how often do you bring your kids up to look at Le Mans Crescent? 

I was just suggesting that they might like it as well. Kids don't know what they want until you show them. Some shows are shit, some are good. I'm just suggesting take a chance on it, you might surprise them.

6 minutes ago, Not in Crawley said:

I was just suggesting that they might like it as well. Kids don't know what they want until you show them. Some shows are shit, some are good. I'm just suggesting take a chance on it, you might surprise them.

They’ve been, they didn’t like it. If Dancing Shoes comes back to the Lowry I will take the eldest to watch that as he may enjoy it. For now on I will be sticking to throwing them in lakes, wild camping, surfing, shooting, football and rugby.

10 minutes ago, royal white said:

They’ve been, they didn’t like it. If Dancing Shoes comes back to the Lowry I will take the eldest to watch that as he may enjoy it. For now on I will be sticking to throwing them in lakes, wild camping, surfing, shooting, football and rugby.

and pulling their kecks down* in front of their class?

 

 

*I don't know where Crawley has got that from, but it did make me laugh 

Edited August 11, 20223 yr by Sweep