BOLTON Heritage campaigners have called for the popular Navada skating rink to rise from the ashes -- inside the Crook Street bus depot.

Members of Bolton and District Heritage Trust were horrified when they learned that a planning application has been submitted to demolish the building with its brilliantly engineered roof structure to make way for an 80,000 sq ft supermarket.

They believe the site would make a perfect home for an ice or roller skating rink for young people in the town.

Depot owners First Bus wants to move to a new depot in Weston Street and is in talks with supermarket chains about the sale of the Crook Street land.

But the Civic Trust says it is "absurd" to consider demolishing such an interesting building as the bus depot, which was built in 1979 with an amazing roof system the size of two football pitches supported on just four struts.

They want other alternatives to be looked at, including turning the building into a leisure facility.

Many people in Bolton remember Navada roller skating rink in Spa Road, which burned to the ground 17 years ago.

Over the years there was talk of rebuilding the rink, but the development came to nothing and the site is now home to Bolton Lads' and Girls' Club.

Now Brian Tetlow, chairman of Bolton and District Civic Trust, is suggesting the Crook Street bus depot could be saved and turned into a replacement roller rink or ice-skating arena.

"We currently have proposals for yet more supermarkets when clearly we have market saturation," he said.

"What an excellent site the Crook Street depot would be for an ice rink together with other indoor sports facilities.

"Access is excellent and parking available as it has been for buses." Cllr Prentice Howarth, chairman of Bolton Council's planning committee, stressed that as the site is privately owned the council cannot dictate what should be developed there.

But she added that the return of a roller or ice rink to the town would be popular, even if it is not on the Crook Street site.

She regularly visited the Navada in its heyday and has happy memories of the place.

"I would love to see another skating rink in Bolton," she said.

Cllr Bob Howarth, leader of Bolton Council said he too would love to see a new roller rink in the town but is sceptical about its chance of success.

"I think it would be a great idea but I don't think you would get too many developers queuing up. They are too expensive to run," he said.

A temporary ice rink installed in Bolton town centre at Christmas 2000 proved to be a huge success, with hundreds of people visiting the attraction.