Ramsbottom Town Plan
Creating an attractive and vibrant destination
The Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan is a strategic vision and framework designed to protect and enhance one of the North West’s most successful market towns.
A Public Realm, Movement & Connectivity Strategy
Appointed by Bury Council, Layer.studio led a multidisciplinary team to create a "Place Management Plan and Movement Strategy." The project focuses on improving the public realm, optimising movement and parking, and diversifying the visitor offer to ensure the town remains a vibrant, high-quality destination for residents and visitors alike.
balancing accessibility with heritage
Ramsbottom faces the "paradox of success": its popularity as a food and heritage destination has put immense pressure on its historic infrastructure. The town’s heritage fabric—characterised by steep, narrow pavements and a rigid Victorian street pattern—creates significant conflict between pedestrians and vehicles. The challenge was to introduce interventions that solve parking issues and improve accessibility without eroding the very character and authentic charm that make people want to visit in the first place.
Character Area Analysis
Ramsbottom Town Plan
Connecting People and Place
The plan works because it is a "Landscape-led" urban strategy. Instead of proposing wholesale change, it focuses on the "spaces between the buildings." By creating a more intuitive and legible town centre, the plan reduces vehicular dominance and provides streets for people. It provides a clear, fundable roadmap for investment that balances Ramsbottom’s industrial heritage with a forward-thinking approach to the evening economy and sustainable tourism.