A SLAB of concrete weighing more than a fifty-storey building is being created in Bolton Town Centre to provide the base for a giant crane, which will arrive next week.

The 45 metre crane is being shipped over from Poland and will be erected in Bridge Street from Monday next week — remaining in place for 30 weeks.

The key task of the huge machine — which is the largest luffing crane used in the UK — is to lift a large steel structure onto the Market Place Shopping Centre, which will eventually house a new nine-screen cinema.

The creation of the cinema is part of a wider £14 million redevelopment of the centre, which will include the opening of a range of bars and restaurants in the Victoria vaults beneath the building, which are currently being carefully refurbished.

The owner of the centre, the Moorgarth Group are hopeful that the cinema will open in December this year, with the overall project expected to be completed by early January.

Preparations are taking place this week to create a base in which the massive amount of concrete can be poured into.

This will take several days to set and once it has, the crane will be able to be erected on top of it.

Tim Vaughan, the chief executive of the Moorgarth Group said the crane’s arrival in Bridge Street represents a “very significant” stage in the progress of the development.

He said: “This is a vital part of the process and it is happening bang on time, which is great.

“We have been working on various bits and pieces to get this ready for the past month — we are bringing in a very specialist piece of kit.

“I have been told that the lump of concrete that is being made as a base for the crane to rest on is heavier than a fifty storey building — it is a beast of a thing.”

To allow for the erection of the crane, there will be road closures in Bridge Street and Deansgate (from its junctions with Bradshawgate to Crown Street) from Monday to Friday next week.”