IN your coverage of the Bury West Area Board's consideration of the town centre developments, which included a presentation on the market proposals, you referred to my defence of the developers Westfield.

I am not disputing what was written. Although property developers are an easy target, I make no apologies for defending them against charges of trying to ruin the shopping centre and kill the market.

The developers have paid for surveys which tell them that one of Bury's main attractions is its market, and at our meeting their representative revealed that the footfall in the Mill Gate shopping centre increases by a very significant percentage on market days.

I am therefore prepared to accept that they are acting in good faith and have a selfish interest in improving the town and retaining the market, not destroying it.

Secondly, it is true that I did disagree with a market trader who said the developers were proposing to move the market into a "backwater". I pointed out that it could hardly be so described as such when it would be situated at the main gateway from the bus station and Metrolink tram terminus, where thousands of shoppers enter the town centre every day.

What your article did not go on to say, however, was that while I have an open mind on the plans generally I am not sure that re-locating the market to that site is a good idea. For more than half the week, those entering the shopping centre from the Interchange would be met by rows of empty market stalls: not an appealing sight.

At present, the open market is behind the shops and, although near the car parks, it is not so visible on non-market days.

The promised new department store is to be welcomed if it discourages local residents from travelling to Bolton, the Trafford Centre and Cheadle Royal. It would be an asset and attract more spending power into our town centre.

One objection I did raise with the developers was to their proposal to reconfigure the bus station on which vast sums of money are being spent at present. Because a car park would be lost, they plan to build the new bus station, under a multi-storey car park.

The experience of this type of development at Rochdale, Manchester Arndale and elsewhere is awful. A bleak, gloomy, dank atmosphere full of fumes, very depressing and unhealthy.

There is much, therefore, still to discuss and the developers seem willing to respond to constructive criticism.

At our area board, I was trying to balance the debate in which some were implying that the developers were our enemies. I believe the council and the developers both want Bury to improve and be successful.

Moreover, given the public opposition to changing the market's location yet again, and given that we are having all-out local elections next year, I predict the developers will have to change their proposals: or am I just being cynical?

COUNCILLOR ROY-E WALKER,

Church Ward.