TOWN centre business leaders are uniting against plans for a giant 10,800 square metre multi-purpose leisure and shopping facility at Middlebrook.

The plans to create a two-storey site comprising a factory outlet for cut price designer clothing, a heritage and tourism centre, restaurant and leisure facilities has met with immediate opposition from members of the Bolton Town Centre Partnership.

Members are objecting as a group and as individuals against the application, due to be considered by Bolton councillors later this month.

The Partnership is made up of business leaders from some of the largest and most influential retail outlets in the town centre, as well as a variety of other major Bolton companies, including the Bolton Evening News. It aims to represent all town centre businesses, and says the application could be of a "monumental detriment to businesses elsewhere in the borough".

Partnership chairman, Mr Neil Russman said: "I think the planning restriction placed on the development initially at Middlebrook was to ensure that it was complementary to the borough and not confrontational to other economic interests in Bolton.

"jobs gained in isolation may result in the degeneration and loss of jobs elsewhere in disproportionate levels to the gains.

"Investment in the borough must be tactical, designed to develop the borough as a whole."

Former chairman of the Partnership, Mr Rod Neasham, who is also general manager of the Market Place, added: "We will be objecting as a group and as individuals because we feel that the factory outlet village would prove too much competition for the town centre. Similar

"A similar application was put in last year and was withdrawn by the same people. We made our objections then and will do so now.

"Individually the out of town shopping centres do not amount to too much competition, but when looked at collectively the figures make a considerable difference to us.

"The council is keen for new jobs to be created, but we do not want this to be at the expense of lost town centre jobs."

The application for The Linkway, on Middlebrook, has been submitted by Emerson Development Holdings Ltd, at Alderley Edge, who have been responsible for much of the development in that area.

The Partnership has informed its members of its opposition inviting anyone objecting as "an individual body" to write to the Director of Environment at the Town Hall before April 16.

No-one from Emerson was available for comment.

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