THE Middlebrook retail park is set to expand after controversial plans for a new building and three shops were given the go-ahead.

Landowners, Orbit Investments, will now be able to push ahead with proposals to create the new retail units on land currently used for car parking.

Town centre traders had opposed the scheme, claiming it would take trade out of Bolton and into the retail park.

But Bolton's planning chiefs brushed aside those concerns when they granted permission to the scheme at a meeting last week.

Bolton Town Centre Company manager, Cathy Savage, said she was "disappointed" at the time the proposals were unveiled and feared the shops would create more competition with Bolton town centre.

But Cllr Bob Ronson, who represents the Horwich North East ward and sits on the planning committee, said after the meeting: "We had people from the town centre expressing concerns but they are only small units and it's difficult to see how they will represent a challenge to other shopping sites.

"The car park plans haven't been approved yet but they do go hand in hand with the new shops and will replace the number of spaces which will be lost when the shops are built."

Further proposals to create more spaces for cars by building a two-storey car park opposite Asda, to compensate for the space which will be lost to make way for the new shops, are yet to be discussed.

Orbit Investments say they have not yet finalised tenants for each of the units but permission was granted to allow them to be used for retail, financial or catering.

A 14 metre long illuminated entrance sign welcoming shoppers to the site was also given the go-ahead at the town hall meeting on Thursday.

A new Marks and Spencer store is on track to open by Easter at Middlebrook.

The high street chain will open in a 35,000 sq ft building, which was previously occupied by Allders, in a move that is expected to create 100 new jobs.

Plans to open that store also attracted protests from town centre traders who objected to the move on the grounds that it would break a covenant restricting the sale of items such as clothes, shoes, books, jewellery and toys at Middlebrook.