Plans for state-of-art storage facility in Bolton town centre approved

Plans to build a new high-quality storage facility were approved by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council planning committee Thursday 5 January 2023.

The proposed new landmark building will regenerate an empty gateway site to Bolton town centre and be operated by leading national self storage operator Lok’nStore Group Plc.

The facility will provide access to much needed storage space catering for residential customers and businesses including SMEs across the borough.

The site is being brought to market by Future Bolton, the property partnership between PSP and Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council established in 2012 to help maximise the value of surplus land and assets owned by the Council.

Bolton Council Leader, Cllr Martyn Cox, said:

“The re-development at Westbrook Gateway will rejuvenate a brown-field site and deliver benefits to the borough for the long term.

“The building of a new Lok’nStore facility will complement the many other developments and
regeneration projects already happening in the town centre.”

“This type of self-storage is used by small businesses needing extra space to grow, and will also support the proposed residential neighbourhoods in the town centre, making Bolton town centre living even more convenient and attractive.”

Tom Lampard, Director of Acquisitions, Lok’nStore Group Plc said:

“Lok’nStore is delighted to be developing a new facility in a strategic location with Bolton town centre to provide a much-needed service to the borough and residents.”

“This modern form of self-storage will support the local authorities aspirations for the future of Bolton town centre which involves relatively high density developments, which generally requires storage. We look forward to welcoming our first customers in early 2024.”

Leena Gillespie, Director, PSP said:

“By unlocking sites in strategic locations, we can help local authorities like Bolton Council to maximise the value and benefit of their land and property holdings.”

“The agility and flexibility of our Future Bolton partnership with the Council allows us to respond to the specific needs of a community and to bring forward projects that truly support and promote local people and places. As a partner of local authorities, we passionately believe land and property can be used to help local communities and economies and further enhance the potential of the borough”

Selling agent Nick Swift, Director, Lamb & Swift said:

“It’s fantastic to see Lok’nStore choose Bolton town centre as part of their expansion plans. The building will create a new landmark corner building and support the local economy and community.”

“The bidding process was very competitive with a number of private sector parties interested in the site which provides confidence in Bolton being a place of interest for companies across the UK. It has been a pleasure working with the team at Lok’nStore throughout the transaction process.”

Building works for the new Lok’nStore scheme is expected to start in 2023 and the project is scheduled to be completed in early 2024. On completion, the project will provide more than 5,000m2 of storage space ranging in sizes from 1 m2 to 100 m2+ and lead to job creation of 5 new full and part time roles.