BURY'S historic market has been saved under a radical re-think of a £150 million investment plan for the town centre.

The announcement has delighted market traders, who collected tens of thousands of signatures from people opposed to the move from its present site to Kay Gardens.

Under the initial plan, shopping giant Westfield was going to plough £150 million into Bury, moving the market, turning the bus station 90 degrees, demolishing Princess Parade, extending the Mill Gate centre to include a department store and new shops, building a multiplex cinema, and having more car parking.

They said there was potential for 2,000 new jobs.

But the market traders were angry with the council for approving the masterplan in principle, claiming that it would destroy the market which they said was the "jewel in the crown" of Bury.

Now Mill Gate owners Westfield has joined forces with Thornfield, the people behind a separate scheme on The Rock.

This new alliance now proposes to plough the money into major improvements centred on The Rock and the North-east of the town centre, with the potential for hundreds of jobs.

Under these new plans, the market and the bus station will remain as they are, as will the flats in Princess Parade which were threatened with demolition.