RESIDENTS have taken advantage of the present to see into the future.

And it was courtesy of a major consultation between the public and the town hall which showcased ambitious plans for the ongoing improvement of East Bury.

The Jinnah Day Centre in Bury staged a Planning for Real event which gave local householders and other interested parties the opportunity to assess what has already taken place and what is proposed for the future.

The event was seen as another plank in the framework of the Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment scheme which has been taking place. Around 2,700 private householders and council tenants, together with local businesses, in an area that runs from Bell Lane and Rochdale Road down through Pimhole to the railway line, have combined in a massive information gathering exercise. All private sector properties have been inspected externally, with a quarter undergoing a full interior inspection.

The facts gathered have provided a condition check on homes in the area on a block-by-block basis.

In addition there has been a response rate of more than 25 per cent to a residents' questionnaire circulated locally and talks have also taken place with housing associations, voluntary organisations, residents' groups and even schools.

The major aim of the Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment has been to allow Bury Council to pinpoint and look at ways of tackling problems which are specific to East Bury.

Local authority executive member for health, housing and social services, Councillor Mike Connolly said: "What we want to do is bring about real change for local people and through this comprehensive consultation and fact finding initiative, we have gone quite some way to achieving that."

Residents who visited the Jinnah viewed plans, chatted with council staff and were able to raise individual areas of concern.

The council acting principal environmental health officer Siobhan McCoy said the focus of the day was on private sector housing renewal and associated regeneration issues.

Commenting on the event, she added: "We see this as an important step in the whole Assessment process."