THE first planning application for The Link development has gone in so the misery trolls are now out in full force.

The Link is the ambitious plan to turn Bolton’s old Bow Street multi-storey car park into specialist retail units for independents plus parking and studio apartments.

It’s the brainchild of successful entrepreneurs Farhad Azimy and Subhash and Geeta Kotecha, who own the Spice Valley restaurants, who want to re-introduce more independent businesses to the town centre. Even though this could easily re-energise our central retail offering and certainly broaden its visitor attraction, the doom merchants and armchair critics are in full voice.

Suspicious of the plan for reasons bordering on paranoia and unable to be positive about tBolton under any circumstances, many simply pour cold water on it. They’re wrong. It’s a great idea, bold, innovative and clever – and many of us wish it great success.