I WAS shocked and outraged to hear of the proposal to move Bury Market and I am in no way surprised at the fury it has engendered among the traders and the public of Bury.

Around £5 million was spent on refurbishing and upgrading the market to its current excellent standard and so who could blame the taxpaying public for thinking that this money will have been wasted if Westfield Shoppingtowns Ltd get their way.

Bury Market draws shoppers from far and wide and Westfield should be under no illusion that their shopping centre alone could ever have generated this level of consumer interest. Let's face it, every town has a shopping centre and every one looks pretty much the same, with the same High Street big names. Whatever they do in Bury they are never going to compete with prestigious shopping venues like the Trafford Centre.

By contrast, what Bury Market has always had is "independent" shopping, which offers its customers an enjoyable and interesting experience and a degree of unpredictability.

So let's nurture this "Jewel in the Crown" and build on its success, not disrupt it again and undermine its achievements just to improve Westfield's portfolio.

The retail "cake" is only so big . . . if more new shops come to Bury then others will inevitably close.

Bury's market traders have my full support in their opposition to this Mill Gate redevelopment plan.

COUNCILLOR YVONNE WRIGHT