A £40 MILLION scheme to transform part of Bolton town centre has been unveiled.

New shops and offices would go up in the town's busiest shopping streets.

The development would replace most of the current shops in an area bordered by Deansgate, Market Street, Corporation Street and Knowsley Street.

The firm behind the scheme, Gordon Moon Properties, wants to put up four floors of offices above new shops.

A spokesman for the firm said the development would give the town centre a massive boost.

The new buildings would be joined to the 1920s-built Knowsley House at the end of the pedestrianised area of Deansgate.

Knowsley House will remain, but two existing blocks of property , either side of Millwell Lane which runs through the development area, would be demolished.

The blocks currently house shops that include HM Samuel, the Early Learning Centre and Original Shoe Co.

Gordon Moon Properties says agreements are in place with all but one of the owners to buy the existing buildings on the site.

Nigel Moon, of Gordon Moon, said the development would provide excellent accommodation to attgract new retailers to c the town centre.

"It is one of a number of developments planned for Bolton town centre which I think will complement each other and make Bolton a top shopping destination," he said.

"Bolton has been in need of these kind of developments for a number of years."

The scheme goes before Bolton Council's planning committee tomorrow.

Planning officers are recommending that councillors approve the scheme.

Deanton Properties, which owns 62 Deansgate, currently home to the Early Learning Centre, has told the planning committee that it has no desire to sell the property.

It has lodged an objection on the grounds that insufficient information has been provided with regard to landscaping and access for the disabled, and that Millwell Lane is a public right of way.

The Deansgate scheme is the latest in a series of major developments set to transform Bolton town centre.

Gordon Moon Properties is also behind an £8 million six-storey office block on the site of the Pinewood Furniture Store in Bark Street, Bolton. Work on that scheme is expected to get underway in June and will take 18 months.

Schemes by other developers include £35 million plans to create a steel and glass mini-city on land surrounded by Moor Lane, Hanover Street and Garside Street.

Others include a £100 million shopping, leisure and retail development at Central Street and a £30 million revamp of the Grade II listed Market Hall to turn it into a modern mall Cllr Ebrahim Adia, the council's new executive member for regeneration and development, said: "The proposals for Deansgate are an excellent development for Bolton town centre.

"It shows the private sector has the confidence to make a multi-million pound development in our town centre and will help with the regeneration of the Knowsley Street area.

"It will also make sure that Bolton retains its reputation as an attractive and vibrant place to visit and shop."