WORK is under way on a £400,000 project to give a town centre shopping hub a makeover.

Bosses of the Mill Gate Shopping Centre in central Bury want to improve the look of part of the arcade in time for the busy pre-Christmas shopping period.

Construction has started in the Lower Haymarket part of the centre and workers are spending £310,000 replacing the ceiling and improve the décor, with a new lighting system installed.

The work is expected to be finished in early September.

Meanwhile, improvements are being made in the centre’s car park.

Engineers are replacing the existing lights with 900 LED lights at a cost of £90,000, which are more environmentally friendly as they cost less to power and last longer.

Marie Gribben, centre manager, said: “These are exciting times for Mill Gate, and moving forward we want to continue working in partnership with our retailers, the local authority and the wider community to help make Bury a thriving, sustainable environment, where local people can be proud of their town centre and visitors can enjoy a positive experience.

Mill Gate bosses say they will be keeping everyone informed of progress and new developments taking place.

“The management and its representatives will be actively participating in initiatives that will help in creating a mutually beneficial environment,” said Mrs Gribben.

In order to keep disruption to a minimum for shoppers and retailers in the centre, contractors are carrying out all the work at night.

There have been mixed fortunes for the Mill Gate this year, with new retailers coming in, such as Exchange Utility, Anytime Fitness, BAP, British Heart Foundation and Patisserie Valerie and a number of stores have relocated to larger premises, including The Make Up Store.

However, BHS, the largest retailer in the centre, shut last month with the loss of 45 jobs.