Shoppers at Bury’s Mill Gate centre have welcomed the news the council could be about to revamp the 15-acre site.
Yesterday, the authority announced it had completed a deal to buy the shopping complex for an undisclosed fee from a firm called InfraRed. It will also team up with developers Bruntwood to make improvements to the centre.
Those improvements will be for “new residential, leisure uses”, a council report says. Today (March 23), the Manchester Evening News visited the sprawling retail paradise to see how regular visitors reacted to the purchase.
READ MORE: Martin Lewis' warning to anybody who uses direct debit to pay their energy bills
While many were positive about the decision to improve the centre, some felt that it was already in a good condition. “I don’t think it needs anything,” Sheila Myers said.
“My sister comes all the way from Macclesfield to here. If you compare it to Stockport or any of the others — even the Trafford Centre and the Arndale — we have got everything, really.
“We just want more big stores to come back. I first moved here 37 years ago when they started this. It was a like a building site. It’s also not long since they built the Rock.
“My family all come from across Greater Manchester to shop because it is the best place to shop.”
Kathleen Naughton, who visits almost every day, added: “I’m quite happy with it. I am killing time [when I visit].”
Brian Hunt was among those who thought the improvements were necessary. He explained: “It needs something. It is competing with The Rock which is glass and pillars and it is like standing behind a jet engine on a breezy day.
“The weather protection is good [at Mill Gate]. I always come here first and then go to the top end. Most of the stores we like and love have gone, replaced by low end stuff.”
Mary Ward and Barbara Russell have worked in the centre for 15 years. In that time, they say ‘they have not done anything different’.
The pair added: “Some shops are empty. We have worked for 15 years. They have not done anything different to it. Shops keep changing, but there’s a lot empty.”
Announcing the news, council leader Eamonn O’Brien, said: “This will boost the Bury economy and the town centre. This is one of the biggest pieces of work we’ve entered into in terms of scale.”
