THREE quarters of people have backed plans for a £20 million transformation of part of Pilsworth.

Earlier this year, the Bury Times revealed Sladen Estates wants to carry out a major redevelopment of the former Park 66 entertainment centre to create 300 jobs and employ another 250 during construction.

The land suffered a massive downturn in recent years, largely due to the success of The Rock in Bury town centre.

In mid-September, the firm launched a website — pilsworthregeneration.co.uk — and delivered leaflets to hundreds of neighbours asking for their views on the project.

If Bury Council grants permission for the scheme, there will be four shops selling food, homeware and sporting goods and two drive-through restaurants, as well a warehouse.

No brands have been confirmed, though it is understood one of them will be JD Sports, which will open a sporting goods shop with a gym attached.

Some 400 people have shared their views with Sladen, with 74 per cent saying they support the proposals outright, 19 per cent backing the idea ‘in part’ and seven per cent unsupportive.

A Sladen Estates spokesman said: “In particular, residents told us they are keen to see the site brought back into use following a number of years of lying empty and attracting anti-social behaviour and vandalism.

“Of course, those living in the Hollins Village and Unsworth areas close to the site expressed concerns regarding the increase in traffic that the development would bring but, on the whole, still welcomed the proposal to regenerate this area of Pilsworth.”

The company’s director Nigel Jones said: “An impressive number of people took the time to reply to our consultation and we’ve also been speaking with local councillors and community groups over recent months to understand what local people want from the redevelopment of the site.”

Mr Jones added: “With a sound plan for long-term economic investment and job creation at the site, we believe that our proposals will be of real benefit to local people and the local economy. We are working hard to address (neighbours’ concerns) before submitting the planning application.”

The firm said it will submit a planning application in the coming weeks and anticipates a decision in the new year.