FIVE businesses are set to disappear from Bolton town centre to make way for a new transport hub.

Work will begin on Bolton’s £48 million transport interchange later this year.

To make way for the construction, 16 businesses around Newport Street have been issued with Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs).

Bolton Council has been working to relocate the businesses, but five cannot find suitable alternative locations or have decided to close.

The CPOs — which were granted by the government last September following a two-day public inquiry — officially come into force tomorrow.

The businesses affected are The Salvation Army store, B&M Bargains, Sunshine Dance Studios, Maidments Solicitors and a car park run by Smart Parking.

The Salvation Army previously said it had not ruled out opening a new store in the town in the future.

Smart Parking declined to comment, and the remaining firms were unavailable for comment.

The majority of the businesses will have to be closed by tomorrow, but the dance studio and car park have been given permission to remain open for now, pending legal agreements.

The dance studio may get an extension so its members can prepare for an upcoming competition and the car park may be allowed to operate for longer because it is not immediately impacted by the next stage of the Interchange work.

Once the CPOs are enforce, surveys will then take place, with construction work expected to start later this year on the project — which is a joint scheme between the council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

A TfGM spokesman said: “There won’t be a ‘big bang’ with cranes and things like that just yet. There will be pre-demolition work, such as asbestos surveys, before construction can begin in earnest.”

The project is due to be completed in 2015 and will include a high-level pedestrian bridge between the train and bus station, as well as eco-friendly power-saving systems and a cycle station.

Keith Davies, director of development and regeneration at Bolton Council, said: “This is a significant milestone in the development of what is a major regeneration scheme for Bolton.

“We’ve worked hard to ensure that all the businesses affected have been supported. We believe that to have secured the future of 11 of these 16 businesses affected is a significant result in that respect.”