BOLTON Council leader Cliff Morris has hailed plans by the new owners of the Market Place to create a nine-screen cinema and eateries.

Cllr Morris was speaking after the Moorgarth Group chief executive outlined plans to spend up to £15 million transforming the complex back into a major destination for shoppers during the next 12 months.

Cllr Morris said: “We are delighted Moorgarth have acquired the Market Place and we look forward to working with them to make sure the centre fulfils its potential as one of the town centre’s key assets.

“During the process of the sale of the centre, we had the opportunity to meet some of the potential buyers and we were impressed by Moorgarth’s vision and determination to be successful in operating the centre in future.

“This was certainly the case with Moorgarth and in our subsequent discussions with them it has become clear that they will bring a significant level of expertise and knowledge.

“They have made it clear that they want it to be a facility for the Bolton community and that they want to play their part in helping us to deliver our strategy for the town centre and address the challenges it faces.”

Cllr Morris said a key part of the strategy was to improve leisure for families in the town centre and a new cinema had been at the heart of the plans.

“It also shows just how wrong those people are who take a great delight in criticising the town centre and claim there is no investment in Bolton,” he added.

Cllr Morris said recent and current private sector investment in Bolton town centre amounts to at least £113.6 million.

“Of that figure the retail sector has now invested at least £46.1 million, the residential sector £17.5 million and the commercial sector £50 million,” he added.

Bolton’s director of development and regeneration Keith Davies said that, as part of the council’s strategy, a study had been commissioned on the viability and feasibility of a town centre cinema.

He added: “What it showed was that, although there are other cinemas in the borough at Middlebrook and the Valley, there was enough potential audience figures to make a nine-screen cinema a very viable proposition and that has obviously helped Moorgarth in coming to their conclusions.”

More on the plans for The Market Place: