Business says 'Back skis for Leigh'

Why should the future leisure activities, jobs and livelihoods of over 50,000 local people and possibly three million visitors per year, be thrown away for the sake of 250 NIMBY people - some of whom don't actually live, work or more importantly, shop and spend their money in Leigh and contribute to the local economy.

Whilst we appreciate and sympathise with the concerns of those local residents who are adjacent to the development, we cannot ignore the wider implications of the Xanadu development.

This development will in the future, and already is, attracting major enquiries and possibilities of greater inward investment in the Leigh area.

As has been mentioned in various letters to The Journal, we have for too long criticised Wigan MBC for taking over and building a better place for Wigginers at the expense of Leythers, we can now redress the balance.

It is simply not a case that Wigan don't want this development for themselves, but more importantly, that the developers have chosen the site that suits their needs, and it happens to be in Leigh. We are on the brink of drastic change and regeneration and it would be a very sad day indeed if we let this opportunity slip out of our hands. As far as we are concerned Xanadu is an integral part of the future of Leigh and shows that Leigh can once more become a thriving economy.

Whilst we also appreciate that the whole of Leigh's problems will not disappear overnight and this is not an instant panacea. It is, and must be regarded as, part of a greater plan to bring prosperity to this area. And a long awaited one at that.

Whilst not all construction jobs will be taken by local people, we are being assured that there will be some jobs available.

What about the boost to the local economy from the construction teams? Obviously with an influx of up to 5,000 construction workers they are going to have to live, eat, sleep and drink somewhere.

As on the last major construction site in Leigh, Spinning Gate Centre, lots of small businesses started and thrived, and in turn created employment. We ignore these facts at our peril.

It seems that we are happy to see the recent developments of ASDA, Sainsbury's and the other retail an leisure developments along Atherleigh Way, which create local employment but kill off the high street and market, without any opposition, but take a different moral stance when it comes to Xanadu.

The local business community has been decimated over the past few years with the recession, business rates, the effects of pedestrianisation, the shifting of the town centre, high unemployment and much more. Now just when we feel that with lots of effort by local businesses, the creation of Leigh Business Partnership, the appointment of Town Centre Manager, the involvement of the Coalfield Challenge, Single Regeneration Budget, and a general feeling that we CAN regenerate Leigh, we are besieged by outsiders, some with Wigan in their titles, telling us what we should be doing.

Cllr Peter Smith, leader of Wigan Council echoes this by saying that genuine objections from local residents will be carefully considered but most of the adverse reactions are being stirred up by people not connected with this town.

And not only that, a local resident insults us by saying these leisure activities will not benefit local people because they cannot afford the level of costs for this type of entertainment.

The contrary applies, people are actually travelling out of this area and spending their leisure money elsewhere.

How dare you insult the people of Leigh in this manner. What are you doing to alleviate any of the problems of this town and to help the people of Leigh? As another recent correspondent said, it's always the people who never get an initiative up and running that are the first to bitch when someone else does!

Enough is enough.

Of course we must ensure that careful considerations are given to all the environmental issues, traffic surveys, local planning objections and any other issues which will affect Leigh people.

As for the gas, water and sewerage, I am sure the utilities will be charging a considerable amount to the developers for the connection of their service, as well as the ongoing charges. So this is not an issue. And I am more than aware that either local or business rates will be levied at considerable levels. So the people of Leigh will not be burdened with these, quite the contrary, the local economy will once again benefit.

We should take a more positive attitude and adopt the stance of "We don't have problems we have solutions." This way we will overcome all the obstacles that are being put in the way of Xanadu coming to Leigh.

If we are all prepared to see Leigh slip back in to the past and never see the dawn of the new millennium, then shame on us. But don't moan and bleat if the Xanadu development goes elsewhere, taking it with the prospects of change for all.

Thank goodness there are enthusiastic people in Leigh with the foresight and long term commitment that will ensure Xanadu goes ahead.

To parody a recent letter, I have written these closing lines with joy and a sparkle in my heart and mind knowing that at last Leigh is going places.

Please support Xanadu for Leigh and the future.

Please write to us to show your support:

Alan Jones

Leigh Business Partnership

22 Market Street, Leigh

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.