Mill Gate and Rock management need to work together (From Prestwich and Whitefield Guide)

Mill Gate and Rock management need to work together

9:37am Friday 30th July 2010

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I have read with interest the various letters and articles regarding the new Rock Shopping Centre, and was pleasantly surprised on my first visit as to the spacious and airy feel not only of the centre, but inside many of the shops as well.

I feel the developers deserve great credit for bringing this scheme in on time with the minimum of disruption to normal life throughout construction. However, on walking back through Mill Gate, I was saddened to see the loss of the previously thronging main square where M&S, River Island, Burton’s and JD Sports have now closed, to be followed very shortly by Superdrug!

Is this the sign of things to come and also the start of many of the ‘tacky’ bargain shops arriving in the centre and gradually running it down like many other towns throughout the country — I hope not!

Are the Mill Gate and Rock management going to work hand-in-hand to ensure a successful and thriving Bury or is there going to be a power struggle with one trying to kill off the other? We were assured before The Rock opened that this wouldn’t happen, however early signs are rather worrying to say the least.

In the Market Square in Mill Gate on Sunday last were an excellent military band who normally would have attracted quite a large crowd — if there were 20-30 people, that would be all.

I know it’s early days yet, but I sincerely hope someone gets the respective managements of both The Rock and Mill Gate round a table to jointly market Bury as the retail centre of north Manchester and not let one battle against the other so that we end up with a Mill Gate ‘ghost town’!!

Would the demolition of Sol Viva help to integrate these two great centres? Chris J Reed Bury

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