DESIGNER shopping villages have not had a dramatic effect on other town centres, a BEN survey has revealed.

As already reported, Bolton Council's planning officers are going to contact local authorities where similar developments have been set up before deciding whether a £35 million scheme can go ahead in the Tonge Valley.

We contacted three other towns which have had similar developments on their doorstep and none have shown a significant downturn in trade.

The Cheshire Oaks development is on the outskirts of Ellesmere Port and five miles from Chester.

Mr Clive Bayley, Chester city centre manager, said: "Chester is probably the strongest shopping centre in the North-west and we have not had a decline in trade. We have a very good relationship with Cheshire Oaks."

Mr Phil Robinson, editor of the Ellesmere Port Pioneer, added: "The town centre here has not been hit too badly at all. The jobs which have been created are very welcome. There is no doubt that it has brought people to the town."

And it was a similar story at Hartlepool where the Jackson's Landing retail outlet village was opened a five minute walk from the town centre.

Mr Peter Ling, who is reponsible for public relations in the main shopping centre in the town centre, said: "The trade in the town centre has not been affected and it has certainly brought people in to Hartlepool.

"There is an open-top shuttle bus to take people between the two.

"They are very different shopping experiences. We find that the town centre is at its busiest Monday to Friday, but most of the people who shop there live within a ten-mile radius.

"But Jackson's Landing is more of a day out where people travel from further afield and is very busy on Saturday and Sunday.

"We have worked hand in glove with Jackson's Landing and we now have joint promotions to bring people to the area."

And at Fleetwood, our survey found that the Freeport development had not had a huge impact on the town centre.

David Pearce, Fleetwood district reporter for the Blackpool-based The Gazette (correct now no evening in title) said: "Some traders do say that they don't get much of a spin-off from Freeport. But I don't think that it has put anyone out of business."

But Karen Wheeldon, Bolton town centre manager said: "I don't think that you can compare one town with another like this.

"In Bolton, we already have out of town shopping at Middlebrook and The Trafford Centre.

"It is a steady drip of trade away from the town centre and I think that the Tonge Valley scheme would be in direct competition and that is why the town centre partnership is opposing the application."

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