Brake on Bolton ferris wheel plan

1:50pm Friday 18th July 2008

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AMBITIOUS plans to build a giant ferris wheel in Bolton town centre have ground to a halt over health and safety fears.

Bolton showman, Henry Hill, had announced his intention to erect the 65-metre high, £2 million attraction in Victoria Square — but council bosses are against the idea.

It would be one metre higher than a ferris wheel in Manchester city centre.

Mr Hill, and the consortium of businesses backing the plans, hoped the wheel would rival the Manchester attraction and bring more visitors to the town.

It is possible the wheel could be set up in Cheadle Square, close to the bus station, but Mr Hill said he is more likely to move the attraction outside the town to Salford Quays or Chester.

He said: “Bolton is my home and I’d like to have it in Bolton. I think it would be a landmark for the town. I know that it would do well, and it would be a major achievement in my life to do something like that.

“You come to Bolton, you get a parking ticket if your wheel touches a line. It costs you a fortune to leave your car here all day.

“They’re sending people to the retail parks, all the big name shops are leaving and it’s killing the town.” The wheel would take a fortnight to build and Mr Hill wants it to be set up on a two-year contract.

The wheel would be shipped in from Italy..

A spokesman for Bolton Council said: “There were safety concerns about having a big wheel in the town centre.

“It is not something we would recommend because the space available is not sufficient to accommodate the wheel without impacting on the safety of all the town centre’s customers.

“However, we wouldn’t rule out hosting a wheel in Bolton and we are currently looking at sites outside of the town centre that may prove suitable.”