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Little Lever

Little Lever has a population of approx. 12,500 people and the town centre currently spans from the Tesco store all the way along Market Street to the indoor market on High Street. There are a range of facilities and shops in the town, including a community library, sports and leisure centre and park. Work is already underway in Little Lever Town Centre on a new library and health centre which will strengthen the offer and footfall in the area.

 

Aerial shot of Little Lever

Little Lever Town Centre Strategy and Masterplan

Future development will focus on retaining and re-vitalising the heart of the town centre, providing facilities that encourage a thriving day and night-time economy, that add to and complement the existing offer. Making best use of the community assets and building on established social and community groups to meet the needs of residents is key to the success of plans moving forward.

There are also opportunities to focus on improved transport links to Radcliffe, Bury and Manchester and improving pedestrian linkages, public realm and car parking.

The council formally approved the new town centre Strategy for Little Lever and its Masterplan on 9th November 2020, following wide-scale consultation with residents and local stakeholders and businesses. The Strategy outlines target interventions and projects, with a masterplan framework for progress which demonstrates the economic benefits that will be generated.

Little Lever Health Centre and Library

Funding the masterplan

Funding was approved by Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Members Committee for a £12m allocation from the £100m Town Centre Strategy Fund alongside £4m of funding from the 2019/20 Capital Programme

This will be used to support the delivery of town centre strategies in Little Lever, Westhoughton, Horwich and Farnworth, which aim to sustain the immediate future of the town centres to the benefit of the wider Borough and its residents.

The level of funding given to any town centre will depend on the overall content and quality of the strategy and masterplan and the level of support needed to initiate development.

 

Little Lever Street

Development of the Masterplan

A two phased approach will be taken to implement the priority projects in each area.  Phase one will be focused on implementing ‘quick win’ projects, completing further physical surveys and design work, and undertaking further public consultation. Phase two will concentrate on the implementation of the longer term projects.

Priority projects for Little Lever include:

  • improvements to major Town Centre gateways;
  • signage;
  • creating an improved pedestrian route through Memorial Gardens to Tesco;
  • public realm works to the square on the Mytham Park precinct;
  • prevention of rat runs; and a shop front improvement scheme.
Little Lever Library
“Exciting times are ahead for Little Lever. Despite difficult restrictions due to the pandemic we are delivering more parts of the jigsaw for our village centre. This includes the new health centre and library, new Gateways, improvements to the area and the start of the new Lever Gardens residential scheme that will provide 60 apartments for local residents and bungalows for the elderly. The introduction of proper traffic calming measures through the racecourse estate and Radcliffe Rd, as well as a refurbished bowling facilities and improvements to Mytham Park will make this the biggest investment into Little Lever in over 30 years. ”
Little Lever Chair, Councillor Sean Hornby

Masterplans and Proposals

An action plan of priorities, output measures and indicators have been developed and will be monitored and reviewed annually by the Director of Place and Assistant Director of Economic Development and Regeneration alongside members of the Little Lever town centre Steering Group.

District Centre Info

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