lDEVELOPERS plan to build a £10 million leisure and entertainment centre on Bolton's famous dog track.

The Raven Group from London has agreed terms to buy the Bolton Greyhound Stadium business from the family owners for an undisclosed sum.

It is now seeking planning permission to convert the nine-acre site in Manchester Road into a complex comprising a multiplex cinema, a 28-lane bowling alley, family and fast food restaurants, a discotheque and a children's play centre and creche. Greyhound racing, which has entertained punters at Raikes Park since 1927, is set to be transferred to another location in Bolton.

Raven says the intention is to build a £2 million stadium complex at one of four undisclosed sites under consideration.

Apart from greyhound racing there would be a restaurant, a conference facility, a night club, a health and fitness centre and a new stock car racing circuit.

Raven said today that a planning application for the Manchester Road stadium had been submitted "following encouraging consultations with the Bolton Metropolitan District Council".

Mr Doug White, land director of the Raven Group, said: "We hope to start work on the existing greyhound site in about May or June of next year."

They hoped to start the new greyhound stadium at the same time.

It was intended to continue racing while the projects were proceeding.

Mr White said the Raven Group, which had been operating for about six years, was involved in 53 projects throughout the country at the moment.

They were confident that there was potential for business growth in Bolton.

"We believe in the town and the people," Mr White said.

Mr Brian Rodden, chairman of the Bolton Greyhound Racing Company Ltd, said that the existing management structure would be retained when the take-over deal went through and Raven became the owners.

"We are very excited about this," he said. "We are looking to move to a purpose-built stadium."

He estimated that it would be the end of 1996 or the beginning of 1997 before everything was completed.

There are currently about 60 people - many of them part-time - working at the greyhound track.

One estimate puts the number of jobs which would be available at the new Manchester Road complex at about 200.

The Manchester Road track opened in December, 1927 after eccentric turf accountant Robert Sinclair Milne and his associates converted the old Raikes colliery site into a centre for the new sport of greyhound racing.

It was run by his family until it was acquired by members of the Ordman family from Manchester in 1979.

In 1990 Bolton Council turned down proposals for a retail park there and the decision was upheld by a government inspector after a public inquiry.

Since then some £750,000 has been spent at the track, including a new restaurant and a £124,000 kennel block necessary for this year's switch from independent status to racing under National Greyhound Racing Club rules.

Stock car racing on Sundays has been an added attraction, but it has provoked complaints from some residents.

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