The Church Wharf scheme has been one of the most highly anticipated of the town centre’s development projects and will include a 130-room hotel with 418 homes along the River Croal. Bolton Council’s planning committee heard how this is also aimed at transforming what has until now been a vacant area of land. Council leader Cllr Nick Peel told the members that would prove to be key to the “ongoing regeneration” of the town along with several other projects. He said this would help to bring in new residents to the town centre along with further investment. He said that “everything is positive about it” and that he wanted to see it in action.