REDDS Bolton Town Centre

In 2018 Bolton Council revealed their master plan to transform the look and feel of the town. The REDDS Bolton town centre project was designed to reinvigorate the town centre; going back in time to restore the area with a look and feel that matches Bolton’s rich heritage. Being part of the history and development of Bolton over the years, Bethell is proud to deliver high-quality public realm works once again for the people of Bolton.

The project involved public realm works as part of Bolton Town Centre development, with improvement works carried out on footpaths and the carriageway on Ashburner Street / Howell Croft South.

The area around Ashburner Street was in desperate need of improvement works to uplift the look and feel of the town. The old footpaths and public areas were well-weathered and many of the old paving flags were cracked and loose, creating a safety concern for pedestrians.

The 43-week programme was delivered in close liaison with Bolton Council, and Bethell self-delivered all civils work including York stone paving granite kerbs and hot rolled asphalt with red chippings within a conservation area for the carriageway.

When working in the public realm, consideration for the safety and well-being of the public is a key consideration; ensuring works are segregated and dedicated pedestrian routes are in place. Heras-topped bison barriers were in place around the site boundary to protect the public from our works, and site barriers and pedestrian routes were audited 3 times per day to ensure the safety of the public.

The scope of works included:

• 80m of 150mm pipework.
• 10 new road gullies and connections.
• 26 new pieces of ironwork replaced and raised to new levels.
• 200m of ducting works working with ENWL requirements including trial holes and route assistance.
• 1800m2 of newly laid paving.
• 800m2 of existing York stone paving removed and re-laid.
• 1130m2 of resurfaced carriageway.
• 1056m of new road markings and road signs.

With the location being on the doorstep of Bolton town centre, there were a number of business owners who would be affected by the works and required close liaison to ensure their considerations were met. Our customer liaison team remained in regular liaison with these businesses and services along Ashburner Street including Bolton Library, Octagon Theatre, Bolton Town Hall, and The Bolton News.

As part of the scope of works, we also installed a new pedestrian crossing adjacent to the Octagon Theatre, as well as new disabled parking bays to create easier access to the town centre for disabled badge holders.

The completed works have created a vibrant public realm space where people can come to meet and relax, and to encourage this Bethell installed several new public benches and tree pits along Ashburner Street.