A MAJOR 17-acre employment park is to be developed close to Bury town centre.

Town hall chiefs have signed an agreement with “regeneration specialists” St Modwen to develop the Chamberhall site off the A56 Peel Way.

The “high quality” scheme is due to be developed over a number of phases, the first of which includes modern business accommodation, ranging from 2,500 sq ft to 25,000 sq ft.

Council leader Rishi Shori has hailed the agreement as good news for the future of the borough.

He said: “We are fully committed to ensuring that businesses can flourish in Bury, creating jobs and bringing investment into our borough.

“Chamberhall is a superb town centre site and we are delighted to be working with St Modwen to attract a range of companies to Bury.”

St Modwen has come in for strong criticism in neighbouring Bolton due to its failure to commence the regeneration of Farnworth town centre after acquiring the land in 2011.

But Cllr Shori said he had no doubts the developer was the right partner for the scheme.

He told the Bury Times: “St Modwen has a really good track record in Bury, such as the Warth Industrial Estate where they have done good with quite huge challenges brought about by flooding.

“There has been had been a very open process in relation to the selection of St Modwen as a partner. They have ambitious plans and have said to me they intend to get a planning application in by October.”

He added: “Bury has a thriving economy and this site is already attracting a lot of interest from businesses within Bury looking to grown and locate to new premises, and externally, as well.”

Pat Jones-Greenhalgh, interim chief executive of Bury Council, said: “Chamberhall is among the first in a series of exciting regeneration schemes that we are progressing at pace. Delivering on our growth agenda is a key priority for the Council in our drive to become financially self-sustaining. Chamberhall will play a vital role in contributing to the achievement of that goal.”

Cllr James Daly, leader of Bury’s Conservative group welcomed the news – but sounded a note of caution.

He said: “Of course, any regeneration is hugely important for jobs growth and creating business rates revenue to assist the council in paying for frontline services.”

But Cllr Daly added: “The real test is getting the businesses, not the buildings, and making sure they thrive in Bury, take on people and contributes to the local economy.

“We can build as many business parks as we want but it’s no use if they’re empty.”

However he added if “significant investment” was being made, he was hopeful of a “positive outcome for Bury”.

David Nuttall, senior development manager for St Modwen Midlands and North, said: "The business park is in an excellent location with real potential.

“Chamberhall is the only employment-led scheme of this size in the near term in Bury and will provide first class accommodation to allow local businesses to grow and expand, as well providing the facilities for Bury to attract new inward investment into the borough."

Chamberhall Business Park is part of the Bury But Better vision and development strategy and also forms part of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities’ investment pipeline.