An unauthorised extension built by a Bolton supermarket at a historic bank building has been taken down. The structure at Farnworth Fresh Food, on the corner of Church Street, Farnworth, was removed after Bolton council issued an enforcement notice.
In August, the council said no planning permission had been applied for to add metal shutters and an extension along the side of the former NatWest building. The authority then set a deadline for its demolition and removal, stating the structure should be removed within two months of the enforcement notice taking effect on September 30.
Shop began operating in late September
In late September, Farnworth Fresh Food began operating from the former banking hall and used the extension to display a wide assortment of fruit and vegetables for sale. Management at the store said they had appealed the enforcement notice and that if the application failed, the structure would be removed.
In the past few days, the metal shutters have been removed entirely from the side of the building. Graffiti had previously been sprayed on the metal roller shutters on the extension which said ‘pull it down’.
Business faced hostility since opening
Speaking on October 2, a spokesman for the shop said the business had faced hostility and threats since opening but the intention behind the business was to ‘serve the community’.
“There have been some incidents which I have on CCTV,” he said. “These people say they care about the building but I’ve had one person say they want to damage it. There have been others throwing stones at the roof.
“The business employs five people, we’re paying thousands in rent and business rates. The extension covers a small space.
“If it comes to it we’ll take it down.”
Historic building and planning history
The building, of Victorian origin, has long been admired by many Farnworth residents for its architectural merits. It first opened as a branch of the Bank of Bolton, designed by architect George Woodhouse in 1877.
The NatWest branch which previously occupied the building closed in May, 2025. The property includes a basement, ground floor banking hall, and first-floor office accommodation.
In April this year, plans were rejected by the council to transform a section of the building into a seven-bedroom shared house. In September, retrospective planning permission was applied for by Farnworth Fresh Food for the unauthorised side extension. However, Bolton council said they would not deliberate on that proposal while the enforcement notice was in effect.
The earlier enforcement notice, published by Bolton council, said the unauthorised extension must be demolished and the roller shutter doors must be removed within two months of notice taking effect on September 30. The council added that the repair of the original elevation removed or damaged during the construction works should be done ‘using materials to match the original building in appearance, colour, texture and finish’. That element of the work must be completed within nine months of the notice taking effect.
