I WRITE in reply to the letters that have appeared in the Bolton Evening News over the last few weeks regarding the Market Hall.

As one of the councillors on the planning committee that voted for the revamp to take place at the Market Hall, I would like to explain why I made that decision.

As a councillor you are there to do the job to the best of your ability, even if that means at times you have to make difficult and unpopular decisions.

Bolton town centre is slipping down the shopping league tables and large retailers are approaching Bolton Council requesting large amounts of space and there is simply nowhere to put them.

I believe that, unless the development of the Market Place goes ahead, we run the risk of future developments, such as those at Central Street, falling through due to a lack of confidence from developers in Bolton Metro's commitment to further improvements.

This would deprive Bolton of hundreds of millions of pounds worth of inward investment and all the jobs that would go with it.

We have a duty of care to future generations of Boltonians to encourage investment and development of run-down sites.

In making my decision, I questioned how far would Bolton slip behind other towns before we bite the bullet and stop the rot. Bolton must adapt and change to meet the needs of the public if it wishes to thrive as it has in the past.

We must also question as to whether there was an alternative, and, quite simply, the answer was that there was never going to be an easy option.

The Market Hall requires substantial repairs to the roof, the cost of which must either be met from the taxpayer or through a developer.

I can fully appreciate that these changes are unpopular, however, when I took the decision to vote for the Market Hall development, I did so with Bolton's best intention at heart.

When Bolton town centre has its redevelopment, I am sure that I will see lots of letters in the press saying what a good job we did on that day.

Councillor Stuart A Lever