OUTSPOKEN town centre trader Gordon Jackson, owner of Jackson's of Leigh, is devastated by the Xanadu decision, which he rates a "massive step backwards".
He said: "I'm very bitterly disappointed. I don't think people realise the impact Xanadu would have had on the town. It would have put Leigh on the map, created thousands of jobs, attracted extra business and greatly boosted the town's economy.
"Over the years, they have taken away our amenities on a promise that they would be replaced by bigger and better, now that won't happen.
"Not only have they denied people leisure facilities, they have denied them employment as well.
"The decision is scandalous, a massive backward step. It's as Winston Churchill said 'the future of so many depends on so few'."
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