Bury Town Centre Masterplan

The masterplan sets out an ambitious vision for Bury Town Centre over the next 20 years, which will guide and support its future growth. The masterplan has been prepared on behalf of Bury Council but will be delivered together with a range of developer partners and investors.

We hope to use this masterplan to attract future investment - both public and private sector funding, into Bury Town Centre.

The masterplan for Bury Town Centre sets out a series of actions and potential development opportunities across ten proposed Character Zones. It responds to the existing challenges and issues that the town centre currently faces. It also looks to build on the key assets and strengths that already exist in the town centre - for example, our heritage buildings and our culture. The proposed changes will also help make Bury more responsive and resilient to climate change, provide greater opportunities for our communities, and help to address vacancies in the town centre.

The masterplan will be used to help assess future planning applications, to attract new funding and to encourage high-quality development into the town centre.

The masterplan will help Bury Council, and its partners, create a town centre that is fit for the future. A town centre that all can benefit from and enjoy. It provides a framework to encourage the right type of development and investment into the town centre, and ensure development is not delivered in isolation. It is important to create key linkages between projects to maximise the regeneration benefits for all.

By 2040, we want Bury to be an attractive, thriving, healthy and forward looking town where people aspire to live, work, study and experience.

The draft masterplan will help to deliver a diverse mix of uses of services, creating vibrancy during the day and into the evening.

It will build on Bury's existing heritage and cultural assets, such as the East Lancashire Railway, Bury Market and The Met.

It will help support creativity, innovation and support the existing community - through encouraging new skills, the introduction of new businesses and help ideas to flourish.

Bury will be a highly connected place - with high-quality public spaces and streets, and will be easy to get around by walking, cycling and public transport.

Our vision and objectives are supported by key development principles and a comprehensive masterplan.

To deliver our vision we have identified eight key objectives:

1. a diversified town centre
2. low carbon and green growth
3. a vibrant town centre
4. a place for culture
5. a place for living
6. a connected town centre
7. healthy and active communities
8. a place for business and learning.

Diversifying and consolidating current retail with an emphasis on retail, leisure, health and living.

Consolidating and diversifying the town centre core through the introduction exciting new leisure uses. Re-imagining The Mill Gate Shopping Centre by restoring some of the original street network whilst retaining some of the core functions and support of the market. The introduction of new homes and services will be designed to create greater footfall in the heart of the town.

Future uses within the Mill Gate may include:

• Retail
• New residential
• Serviced office space
• Food and beverage
• A potential location for a relocated leisure centre (to replace the existing Castle Leisure Centre)

Showcasing new gateway created by the Interchange, Flexi-Hall and public realm upgrades.

This zone proposes the creation of an iconic new gateway and focal point for Bury which celebrates Bury Market and secures its future for generations to come. Through comprehensive regeneration of the public realm and the addition of a new flexi-hall, we can ensure that our historic market is in the best place to thrive, modernise and meet the challenges of today. In addition, the redevelopment of Bury Interchange will provide a modern, attractive and user-friendly public transport hub with better links to the town centre.

Diversifying and strengthening the existing offer and creating new and enhanced public realm.

Building on Bury's existing cultural and visitor attractions, the Cultural Quarter focuses on diversifying, strengthening and promoting the current offer. A comprehensive public realm strategy will enhance Bury's historic character, aid wayfinding and legibility through the town centre. This includes the proposed creation of a new Station Square and could incorporate the creation of a new culture trail and the establishment of an annual cultural events programme.

• Zone D: Knowledge - Incorporating the new STEM Centre, encouraging growth of existing colleges and creating a strong education, research and innovation offer within the town centre.
• Zone E: Town Centre south - Consolidation of the existing surface level car park and development of a new mobility hub, and/or residential development and potential location for a new leisure centre and pool.
• Zone I: Sports campus - Exciting new sports and leisure facilities.

Knowledge zone, Town Centre south and sports campus

The area to the south of Angouleme Way includes three Character Zones - Town Centre South (Zone E), the Knowledge Zone (Zone D) and a proposed Sports Campus (Zone I).

Collectively these zones can deliver:

• New and improved skills - a new Health Innovation and STEM Centre is currently being built at Bury College and improvements are proposed across Bury College's Campus.
• Enhanced health and well-being with the potential for a new leisure centre offer to replace Castle Leisure Centre.
• Better connectivity between the town centre and communities to the south.
• Creation of new high-quality residential which is highly connected to the town centre.
• Potential consolidated car parking and new mobility hub to provide improved cycling facilities and electric vehicle charging points.

These zones will be better connected to the town centre and the amenities on offer as the proposal is to create a 'Green Street' along Angouleme Way and introduce new street trees and planting, and create improved crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

• Zone F: Eastern gateway - New hotel, residential and start-up opportunities incorporating an innovation hub.
• Zone J: Chamberhall - New employment sites, potentially incorporating makers studios, set within attractive landscaped grounds.

Eastern gateway and Chamberhall

The Eastern gateway (Zone F) and Chamberhall (Zone J) Character Zones both provide the opportunity to create new high quality employment space for new businesses to relocate into Bury. The Eastern Gateway area will be developed further with the introduction of a new hotel which will provide the cornerstone to the gateway. This will be complemented with the opportunity for new residential as well as creating a new innovation hub to provide commercial opportunities for small and medium sized businesses and new start-ups.

The Chamberhall site provides a high-quality location for business and light industrial opportunities within close proximity of the town centre. Set within attractive landscaping and incorporating potential makers studios there are opportunities to draw visitors north and provide an important gateway to the Irwell Sculpture Trail and onward connections to Burr's Country Park.

New family orientated community within the town centre and re-imagined town centre living and linear park.

The Western Gateway (Zone G) and Southern Gateway (Zone H) zones will deliver high-quality new housing within the town centre. These sites will create new sustainable communities linking to the heart of Bury, with connections to Bury's Cultural Quarter, Interchange and Market. In addition to providing new homes for local people, the development will also increase vibrancy, activity, and footfall within the town centre.

Key to plan:

• Installation of new Active Travel Crossings
• Installation of elements of the Bee Network
• Creation of new STEM Centre and Health Innovation Hub ('HISTEM') (funded by Bury College, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Department for Education)
• Development of the Flexi-Hall
• Improvements to Bury Market
• Development of new hotel (former Fire Station site)
• Early interventions into repurposing the Mill Gate
• Developer partner procured for Phase 1 of Western Gateway and works commenced on site
• Developer partner procured for Chamberhall Phase 2 works commenced on site
• Car Parking Strategy to be undertaken
• Programme and events underway

Key to plan:

• Redevelopment of the Interchange to be constructed and operational
• Completion of Western Gateway Phase 1
• Replacement of Castle Leisure / new Wet Leisure Centre to be developed in town the centre
• Commencement of Western Phase 2
• Completion of Chamberhall Phase 2
• Creation of new Station Square as part of Cultural Quarter
• Partial reconfiguration of the Mill Gate
• Installation of 1 no. multi-storey car park / mobility hub
• Procurement of developer partner for Southern Gateway sites
• Bury College to refurbish existing College Estate

Key to plan:

• Tram Train
• Completion of Southern Gateway (and associated development sites)
• Completion of Western Gateway Phase 2
• Complete reconfiguration of the Mill Gate
• Further enhancement of the Knowledge Zone

Bury town centre cannot afford to 'stand still' - people are now more than ever demanding more from their town centres. It cannot just be about a place to shop, especially as more people are choosing to shop online. Instead, a town centre needs to provide a vibrant and diverse mix of uses to attract people who want to visit and enjoy their leisure time in, as well as a place which provides access to key services and amenities. There is also the opportunity for more people to live in the town centre, and to create a place which is well-connected to existing communities, other townships and make it an easier place to get to, by walking, cycling and public transport.

The masterplan will also be used to encourage new investment into Bury - from both private sector investors and developers, as well as attracting more public sector funding into the town, and encourage the delivery of high-quality new development.

The masterplan was prepared on behalf of Bury Council, recognising that key changes need to happen within Bury Town Centre to ensure that the town centre responds to changing trends, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide a strong town centre for Bury as a borough.

The masterplan aligns with the Council's 'Let's Do It' Strategy, adopted and emerging Local Planning Policy and the wider regeneration context at a Greater Manchester level.

The development proposals have been carefully considered to ensure heritage and cultural assets are treated sensitively. Key development principles have been prepared to encourage development to respond to heritage assets, such as listed buildings, and the Conservation Area.

The intention is for the built environment to be enhanced and through appropriate new development and creation of new public realm and spaces, better reflect the heritage assets. This includes the creation of a proposed new Station Square in and around the Castle Armoury site.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) are working on proposals for a redeveloped Interchange within the town centre which will provide a better gateway into the town and encourage people to access the town centre by public transport.

Within the draft masterplan we have shown indicative proposals to make it easier for walking and cycling and accessing the town centre from nearby communities, as well as making it easier to walk and cycle between key parts of the town centre (such as between the Interchange, Mill Gate and The Rock).

The masterplan will come forward over a 20 year period and will be carefully managed and phased to ensure minimal disruption for visitors, businesses and residents.

A more in-depth car parking strategy will be commissioned to review what car parking is required, how well used it is and, if there is potential to release some of this for new development. At the same time, and before development of surface car parking commences, the intention is to consolidate this parking and create more land efficient multi-storey car parks which will also include mobility hubs providing cycling facilities and electric vehicle charging points.

The masterplan sets out key development principles for all proposed development to have regard to. A key development principle is to consider the impact of climate change and considers the design of new buildings, encourages sustainable travel (minimising the use of the private car), providing greener streets, encourages biodiversity and new planting, promotes sustainable urban drainage solutions and will look at ways of encouraging renewable and low carbon energy.

Air pollution has been identified as the top environmental risk to human health in the UK. Within Greater Manchester, transport is the major source of air pollution.

A wide range of actions will be required to improve air quality to appropriate levels, and support objectives relating to health and quality places. Many of these actions are beyond the scope of the Bury Town Centre Masterplan, but the primary focus will need to be on transport given its primary contribution to air pollution.

Redevelopment within the town centre will reduce the need for car travel and improved active travel links will encourage residents and visitors to cycle and walk within and to the town centre helping reduce congestion and pollution.

A Clean Air Zone is currently being proposed in Greater Manchester and further information and can found at Clean Air Greater Manchester.

The sketches included in the masterplan have been drawn up by the consultants that have developed the masterplan on behalf of The Council. However, these are just for illustrative purposes at this stage to give an indication of how the town centre and the identified development opportunities could look in the future.

Detailed planning applications would need to be approved before any of the identified sites could be developed and, were this to happen, it is at this stage that the site owners would commission architects to draw up detailed designs. Similarly, it would be up to a site owner to determine who they would use to develop a site.