BOLTON town centre is set be transformed by 2030 under a £1bn masterplan.

The ambitious blueprint will see Bolton Council and private investors combining to redevelop five key zones in the heart of the town.

In September it was announced that a private consortium, Bolton Regeneration Limited, was looking to pump £250m into replacing Crompton Place Shopping Centre with a new state-of-the-art retail and leisure destination.

It has attracted millions from private investors including giant Chinese firm Beijing Construction and Engineering Group International (BCEGI).

The consortium is led by investment and development specialist Midia and includes the Department for International Trade and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

It is understood that BCEGI is interested in projects of £0.5bn and has therefore been given the option of the three zones not already allocated to an investor — and potentially other council-owned sites.

These include Cheadle Square, which encompasses the land behind Le Mans Crescent, including the former Moor Lane bus station.

Town hall chiefs were told last month that Midia and BCEGI were interested in the “big chunk of council land” which could be brought to the market very quickly”.

But the council’s assistant director of place Philip Green added that the heritage of the area would mean a sensitive approach would be needed.

Another of the zones is Trinity Quarter, a large area including Bradshawgate, land off Trinity Street and the former Merchants’ Quarter.

There are three elements to the zone — a commercial area near to the transport interchange, “mixed-use” in the middle of the site and, towards the edges, a residential development.

Plans are in the pipeline for a new NCP multi-storey car park of up to 400 spaces at the corner of Bradshawgate and Trinity Street.

And Croal Valley is a collection of sites to the north west of the town, formerly known as St Helena.

There are two council-owned sites within it — Central Street which will include 130 homes as well as some commercial units — and Pool Street, earmarked for 100 homes.

Church Wharf, however, will be developed by MUSE. Up to 500 homes are expected to be built in the area bounded by St Peter’s Way, the River Croal, Manor Street, Bank Street and Folds Road.