BOLTON property queen Carol Ainscow is playing a leading role in a £100 million redevelopment scheme in Manchester.

Her Manchester-based company Artisan Holdings Ltd is taking the lead in a new joint venture -- Artisan Ship Canal Developments.

It is a partnership which also involves Peel Holdings and Manchester City Council.

Outline planning permission is currently being sought for the major regeneration scheme covering 6.67 acres of land in Ancoats.

It is set to play a key role in transforming an important gateway site to the deprived East Manchester area. The proposals include plans for 700 new homes and a mix of commercial and retail developments coupled with public spaces and works of art. work on the four-year programme could start at the end of the year.

Miss Ainscow, who was brought up in Deane and made her first million by the time she was 27, has been a leading figure in the city's revival over the last decade.

She said today: "This is an exciting development for all parties concerned."

She said it would incorporate good quality design and craftsmanship with an expansion and improvement of the diversity and quality of facilities within the local are.

"As a site of strategic importance both regionally and nationally for the city and for the long term regeneration of East Manchester, I am delighted to be a part of this exciting new partnership," she said.

"The site is a prime location with excellent transport links.

"In addition to being adjacent to one of the main city centre ring roads (the A6010), both Piccadilly and Victoria train stations and forthcoming Metrolink extension are less than five minutes' walk away."

Miss Ainscow, now aged 42, is a former pupil at Mount St Joseph's grammar school, Bolton. She trained as a teacher, but decided she could not stand the "negative thinking."

She has made her name with a number of high-profile ventures in Manchester which include turning the former Factory Records headquarters into the three-storey Paradise night club.

She later bought the distinctive building in Ancoats which was previously home to the Daily Express and other famous newspapers.

The multi-million pound development includes an innovative media centre which offers space to start-up companies specialising in new media, IT, design and film-editing.

A passionate believer in urban living, Carol Ainscow has an apartment in Manchester city centre and a home in Bolton.