A PUBLIC inquiry into plans for a Leigh guided busway starts next week.

Following the visit of a government appointed inquiry inspector to Tyldesley to meet with Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and local people, a date has been set for next Tuesday.

Arguments for and against the plan will be put forward in the Top Chapel, Elliott Street.

Transport bosses will put their case for the innovative proposals for the busway, which, if given the go-ahead, will run from Leigh to Ellenbrook and form part of plans for a Quality Bus Corridor linking Leigh, Tyldesley, Salford and Manchester city centre.

The corridor, they say, has been designed to create a comfortable, reliable and easy-to-use alternative to the car.

The application for the busway is being progressed by GMPTE as the developers and promoters of the scheme, with the backing of Wigan and Salford Councils and the Highways Agency.

Bill Tyson, chairman and managing director of Transport management Group Ltd, who will be acting on GMPTE's behalf during the inquiry, said: "We believe that the Quality Bus Corridor has a great deal to offer local communities along the route."

The guided busway would run for 7km along the former rail route between Leigh and Ellenbrook, with a spur to serve Higher Folds.

The scheme also includes plans to improve recreational facilities along the route.