Sleep pods are set to be installed (pending planning approval) in the centre of Bolton on a vacant church car park, at Higher Bridge Street next to Topp Way, to provide winter accommodation for those sleeping on the streets.
Bolton council plans to place 10 sleeper pods and a kitchen and office module on a vacant church car park, at Higher Bridge Street, next to Topp Way.
Homeless are some of the most vulnerable
The council said the pods would shelter people who are some of ‘the most vulnerable in the borough’.
The pods will be placed over the winter months to ‘support individual adults experiencing entrenched rough sleeping’ who for various reasons are unable to access other forms of temporary or emergency accommodation.
The pods are described as ‘self-contained, prefabricated units’.
Planning application is lodged for the pods
A planning application has been lodged with Bolton council in support of the proposals.
It says:
The initiative is led by Bolton council’s housing options rough sleeper team in response to an urgent and ongoing need to provide safe,
low-barrier accommodation for individuals experiencing entrenched street homelessness.Currently, the team is supporting approximately 11–14 individuals who are unable to access any form of emergency or temporary accommodation.
This is primarily due to poor housing histories, including previous evictions, and complex needs that existing providers are not equipped to manage.
These individuals are among the most vulnerable in the borough, facing multiple disadvantages and exclusion from traditional housing pathways.
A safe and dignified stepping stone towards the housing market
The council said the pods ‘offer a proven solution’ and similar schemes have been successful in neighbouring authorities such as Blackburn with Darwen.
It said that the project had seen the pods ‘provide a safe and dignified stepping stone for individuals with complex needs to re-engage with support services and the housing market’.
The application said the landlord would connect the site to essential utilities, and would also secure the plot with fencing and CCTV coverage, to ensure it is safe, private and accessible only by residents.
The application states that ‘the proposal is not only morally sound but also financially beneficial’, giving examples of the cost to health and housing services of rough sleepers.
The application, said:
Evidence shows that people who experience homelessness for three months or longer cost on average £4,298 per person to NHS services, £2,099 per person for mental health services and £11,991 per person in contact with the criminal justice system.
Similarly, from a pure housing perspective, the cost of repeated temporary accommodation and failed accommodation, is significant, with an average cost of £22,000 per person annually.
Part of the approach is to demonstrate the benefits and the savings to both the local authority and the wider system in practice with a view to sustaining investment following the first six months of the scheme.
The pods are envisaged to be in place until March 31, 2026.
A Local Democracy Press Article by Chris Gee
