CHAMPAGNE corks popped yesterday to celebrate the beginning of a "partnership for the future" when the three premier movers of the Middlebrook "sports village" development at Horwich officially signed contracts. Bolton Council, Bolton Wanderers and developers Orbit put their seal on what was described as the "largest integrated and sustainable employment, leisure, sports and retail scheme in the country".

The £150 million scheme, which will have the 25,000 all-seater new Wanderers stadium at its core, includes a leisure park, industrial, commercial and retail development and will create more than 3,000 jobs. Work is well under way on the Wanderers site, but the signing of yesterday's historic agreement also coincided with the erection of the stadium's first steel girder and a turf-cutting ceremony to mark the leisure and retail development.

This will include an Asda supermarket with a petrol station and a Warner Bros 12 screen multiplex cinema with seating for 2,500.

When complete it will provide one of the most hi-tech multi screen theatres in Europe incorporating the very latest audio/visual digital technology.

The Mayor of Bolton Cllr Eric Johnson signed the agreement along with Mr Peter Emerson Jones, chairman of the Emerson Group, Mr Stan Annison, managing director of Orbit Developments and Mr Gordon Hargreaves, chairman of Bolton Wanderers.

The Mayor described the development as a "landmark" for the North West creating thousands of jobs, unique facilities and providing Bolton Wanderers with a home fit for champions.

Mr Annison said the partnership was about to embark upon what is probably the largest integrated and sustainable employment, leisure, sports and retail scheme in the country.

"The catalyst was Bolton Wanderers' need to build a new stadium and it was the foresight of Bolton Metro that enabled the Emerson Group to offer its development skills to enable this imaginative scheme to come to fruition," said Mr Annison.

He said the success of the scheme is already underwritten by the commitment not only of Bolton Wanderers who are relocating from Burnden Park, but also the commitment of Warner Brothers, JJB Sports, Asda and many others who have the vision to see the site as the premier leisure and retail scheme scheme in the region.

He also mentioned Holiday Inn, Bass, Hollywood Bowl, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut who have also pledged their support.

Mr Paul Fletcher, chief executive of Bolton Wanderers' Stadium complex, said it was a wonderful moment in the history of the club.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.