The Bury Town Centre Masterplan was approved by the Council's Cabinet on 9th March 2022 following consideration toward all responses received from the consultation process.
Bury town centre offers an opportunity for transformative change over the next 20 years - building on the exciting developments that will be forthcoming, such as the redeveloped Interchange and reimagined Bury Market which includes a new flexi-hall venue, and the unique cultural and heritage assets that Bury already benefits from.
We want Bury to be an attractive, thriving, healthy and forward-looking town where people aspire to live, work and study and where everyone can enjoy the Bury experience.
Following a period of public consultation (4th January 2022 to 15th February 2022), the final masterplan was approved by the Council's Cabinet on 9th March 2022.
The masterplan sets out an ambitious but deliverable vision for Bury town centre which recognises that it cannot stand still. To remain a vibrant and thriving centre, Bury needs to adapt to the changes in the UK's retail market, be attractive and open to inward investment, and encourage high-quality, mixed-use development as well as retain the key businesses and communities that make Bury the place that it is today.
The Bury Masterplan provides a clear plan, vision, and objectives to ensure the future sustainability of the borough's principal town centre between now and 2040. A vision which will secure the long-term economic growth of the town..
Bury Town Centre Masterplan details
The masterplan seeks to address the issues and challenges that Bury Town Centre currently faces and sets out a long-term vision for the growth and development of the town centre over the next 15 to 20 years. This includes:
- a transformational revamp of the heart of the centre
- setting out proposals to transform the Mill Gate Shopping Centre with new shops, leisure, residential and business opportunities.
Alongside this, the masterplan identifies other development opportunities across the town centre that will complement the Mill Gate proposals and help to sustain Bury as one of the top town centres within Greater Manchester and beyond. These opportunities include proposals for:
- an improved market
- a new re-arranged transport interchange
- a new Flexi Hall, which will comprise a large, state of the art, carbon neutral, multifunctional events space that can support market stalls, 'pop-up' trading, live performance, and community events.
Sites have also been identified for new town centre residential development as well as wider innovation, education and employment opportunities.
It is proposed that these developments will be supported and linked by a high-quality public environment which is attractive, easy to navigate and safe, to allow pedestrians and cyclists to move around easily.
The draft masterplan puts forward key development proposals including:
- the transformation of the Mill Gate and introduction of new uses, including residential, leisure, a broader food and beverage offer and a potential location for a new leisure centre
- an improved Bury Market with a new Flexi-Hall and also include a café bar, an area dedicated to office functions, and space dedicated to the provision of workshops, co-worker space or small business start-ups
- the creation of new homes (including affordable) to encourage town centre living
- the introduction of new, high-quality public realm, including the creation of a new Station Square in Bolton Street
- the development of new employment space, encouraging innovation and collaboration, with a particular focus on new space for small and medium sized businesses
- a redeveloped Bury Interchange, providing a highly connected and accessible new gateway into the town centre.
View the full Bury Town Centre Masterplan report.
- Bury Town Centre Masterplan 2022[24.96MB]pdf file
Masterplan consultation and revisions
77 percent of the responses received as part of the consultation process either 'definitely agreed' or 'agreed' with the vision for the town centre.
Following full consideration of the consultation comments it was concluded that no fundamental changes were required. Some updates were made to the final plan including changes to reflect the most recent strategic context, opportunities arising from the potential re-development of part of the Mill Gate estate, and a new, proposed visualisation of the Town Centre South Character Zone.
Funding and delivery
The Masterplan sets out a clear and planned approach towards the future of the town centre.
Given the scale and ambition of the proposals identified, alongside the level of investment that is required, the delivery of the proposals will be phased over a 20-year period.
The sites will not all come forward within the first five years of the Masterplan but, instead, the initial focus will be on key sites that are already cleared and/or within the Council's ownership or sites that have already secured funding.
The Council:
- has already secured Levelling Up Funds for the Market Flexi Hall which forms one of the Masterplan's short-term proposals the short-proposals (up to 2025)
- will be establishing a Joint Venture with Bruntwood to develop some of the Millgate Shopping Centre components of the Masterplan, and it is envisaged that other funding opportunities should present themselves through these proposals
- is seeking to secure significant funding for the redevelopment of the Bury Interchange through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS). The redevelopment of the interchange would act as the catalyst for wider investment and development around the town.
The masterplan will be used to underpin further funding bids from other sources such as; Active Travel monies, Evergreen, the Brownfield Land Fund, Homes England and the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Bury Town Centre Masterplan summary
Proposed character zones
The masterplan area is defined by ten 'character zones'. A series of options have been developed for each zone to define how development could potentially come forward in the future. The preferred options for the ten zones has formed the basis for the development of the Illustrative Masterplan.
These development principles are only proposals at this stage and are not fixed. Bury Council welcomes the view of local communities and key stakeholders.
Delivery and phasing
Given the scale and ambition of the proposals, alongside the level of investment that is required to achieve the vision, the delivery of the proposals identified within the key Character Zones will be phased over between now and 2040.
The sites will not all come forward within the first five years of the Masterplan; instead, the focus will be on key sites which are already cleared and/or within the Council's ownership. The ambition however will be to bring sites forward which provide a mixed-use approach.