A massive plan to develop a billion pound ‘health campus’ which includes new homes on current green land close to Royal Bolton Hospital, has been unveiled.
A vision for Health Innovation Bolton (HIB), a strategic partnership between Bolton Council, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, Peel Land, the University of Greater Manchester and Bradford Estates has been published. Health Innovation Bolton (HIB) said the the strategy was a ‘place-based growth initiative aimed at improving health and wellbeing while driving economic regeneration and better social outcomes’.
It claimed it is ‘one of the most exciting and innovative schemes in the North West ’. The partners said they have now endorsed a new concept study and blueprint that places HIB at the centre of the NorthFold growth location and are committed to taking the scheme forward to delivery.
The proposals were discussed by public and private sector leaders at an event last week, NorthFold – Delivering Growth Across Wigan and Bolton, which was attended by over 200 industry representatives, stakeholders and investors.
A report setting out proposals to update an original exploratory memorandum of understanding in 2021, will be presented to Bolton Council’s cabinet next week. The plans include a new ‘primary transport corridor’ designed to ease congestion around the hospital and Plodder Lane, with improved access to the M61 at Junction 4.
HIB said there would be better public transport, walking and cycling links and upgrades to digital, water and utilities networks. The cabinet paper include a location map of the development site for HIB, showing pockets of land ownership.
The huge site, bounded by the M61 to the south, includes pockets of green field land land owned by Peel Land which border Plodder Lane, Watergate Lane, Smethhurst Lane and St Helens Road, among others. The plot also includes the current Royal Bolton Hospital site and the newly built university medical school.
Other landowners within the site are Bradford Estates, who possess an area next to the hospital and Bolton council. HIB said the scheme aims to ‘tackle some of Bolton’s most entrenched health and social challenges’.
It said the ‘regeneration programme will place health and wellbeing at the heart of a mixed-use transformational project’. HIB the scheme will deliver new homes designed around healthy and active lifestyles and major improvements to transport.
New residential neighbourhoods would include affordable housing, key worker and student accommodation, and supported living, alongside market housing HIB said the new community would ‘integrate with surrounding communities in Farnworth and Great Lever and be centred around a new elevated linear park’.
Bolton Council leader Coun Nick Peel said: “Health Innovation Bolton represents an exciting opportunity to tackle inequality, create opportunity and put health and well-being at the centre of our borough’s ongoing regeneration.
“If approved, these plans will mark the first step towards a partnership approach that will give us the best chance of delivering the infrastructure and investment our communities deserve.”
Fiona Noden, chief executive at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We welcome this exciting development and look forward to continuing to explore how we can work in partnership to tackle health inequalities, and improve health outcomes for our Bolton communities and beyond.”
Stephen Wild, managing director at Peel Land, said: “Health Innovation Bolton represents everything we believe regeneration should be – partner-led, community-focused and designed to create lasting positive change.
“By bringing together the NHS, local government, education and the private sector, we can tackle complex health and social challenges and grow our economy in ways none of us could achieve alone.”
The HIB concept study is being updated and will be published in due course along with further information about the project. Public consultation in relation to HIB will take place both through the Bolton Local Plan and future consultation exercises over HIB itself.
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