More than £24m has been allocated to the Mill Gate regeneration project by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The cash will support a planned first phase of redevelopment at and around the retail space in Bury town centre.
The funding award has been labelled a ‘huge vote of confidence’ in Bury and a ‘significant step’ towards realising council ambitions for the town centre. Bury council and developer Bruntwood have said they want to ‘better connect’ the shopping centre with the world-famous Bury Market, Bury interchange and the wider town.
Planned demolition and new uses
Full details of what the money will be spent on are yet to come. However, the pot is expected to help the council deliver on priorities set out in the Mill Gate Regeneration Framework, developed in 2024.
Those priorities included a ‘large area of demolition’ within the shopping centre itself, along with the removal of part of the roof around Union Street and the TJ Hughes store. New residential opportunities, improvements to the setting of Bury market and a new mix of leisure and food and drink options to the north-east of the town centre are also included in the framework ambitions.
Council and developer response
Charlotte Morris, Bury council’s cabinet member for regeneration and growth, said: “The Mill Gate is a hugely important asset in our Town Centre and these proposals represent a significant step towards turning our long-term plans for the site into reality. The proposals will help open up the centre, improve the way people move through it and strengthen connections between the Mill Gate, our award-winning Market, the interchange, Casewells and the wider town. Alongside the existing retail offer, we want to create opportunities for a broader mix of uses, better public spaces and more reasons for people to visit Bury, spend time here and return.”
Morris noted the council partnered with Bruntwood and jointly acquired the 15-acre estate in 2022 before developing the Mill Gate Strategic Regeneration Framework in 2024. She said the latest investment secured through the GMCA Good Growth Fund represents another important step in moving that vision from strategy into delivery.
Chris Roberts, Chief Development Officer at Bruntwood, added: “This is a huge vote of confidence in Bury as well as in the ambition we share with the Council for Mill Gate. It gives us momentum to take an important first step towards the wider, long-term transformation of the retail destination and town centre. Bury already has so much going for it, and our ambition is to build on those strengths.”
Roberts said the proposals for the first phase will be shaped through consultation in November and subject to the relevant approvals.
Interchange redevelopment plans
Further improvements are also in the works around Bury’s interchange which is expected to be completely redeveloped into a ‘modern, high-quality hub for buses, trams and active travel’ as part of plans by Transport for Greater Manchester. The first phase is expected to see the creation of a new pedestrian footbridge to the hub, offering a second access point to the tram platforms.
It will span the tram lines from Union Square to Pyramid Park, which is also expected to see housing built on it. Improvements to the platforms themselves will also come in phase one with new canopies, resurfaced platforms, improved ticketing facilities, better passenger information displays, and upgraded lighting, signage and CCTV. This work is expected to begin later this year.
Later work, which is still subject to final approval, would see a fully enclosed building created with a ‘safe and secure’ waiting area. The new interchange would also feature a multi-use quiet room, active travel hub with secure cycle parking, redesigned bus areas with improved access and fewer crossings, and space for retail and commercial uses. TfGM is also looking to develop new homes on part of the site, with between 70 and 80 apartments on the cards.
