THE future of Radcliffe town centre will be the subject of ground-breaking talks next week.

Bury South MP Ivan Lewis and Councillor Barry Briggs, chairman of Radcliffe Area Board, will meet London Estates, the major private landowner in the town centre.

Coun Briggs said: "Through the work of the area board, we have begun to take a long-term look at how we can improve the centre of the town. As the major private developer in the area, London Estates has a key role to play in any future plans.

"We are hoping to open a constructive dialogue about how we can work together for mutual benefit."

"In many ways, the future of Radcliffe is looking better than it has done for many years. High-quality housing is bringing new people to the area, proposals are to be submitted about building a new, state-of-the-art super school, and the market-museum ideas have given a boost to the town centre."

He added: "Obviously the constructive support of London Estates will give the process even more impetus."

Mr Lewis said: "Along with Coun Briggs, I will be pushing London Estates to work with the local authority to come forward with mutually advantageous proposals for improvements to the town centre."

Next week's meeting will take place at London Estate's headquarters in London. Coun Briggs and Mr Lewis will be joined by senior economic and regeneration officers from Bury Council.