THE borough's last remaining "large" day centre is set to shut after town hall bosses branded it as outdated.

Wheatfield Day Centre in Victoria Avenue, Whitefield, has 60 places for adults with learning difficulties.

The council has decided to close it as chiefs now favour smaller bases - but the doors will only close once all service users have been transferred elsewhere.

A Bury Council spokesman said: "The modernisation of the day service has already seen the successful replacement of other large and outdated centres such as William Kemp Heaton, Whittle Pike and Seedfield.

"Customers who used to receive a service from these sites now receive day support in smaller community settings, closer to their own homes.

"This means that people are able to connect more readily with their own community and do not have to travel far to receive the service."

The new centres include Hoyles Park Bowling Pavilion in Bury, Bolton Road Park Bowling Pavilion in Radcliffe, and a building in Fairfax Road, Prestwich.

The local authority is considering opening a fourth centre in either Prestwich or Whitefield, spending £520,000 on renovating the new property funded by the sale of the Wheatfields site.

The council's health representative, Cllr Rishi Shori, said: "It's a win-win situation.

"We don't want to be creating ‘standalone’ facilities that create separation.

"We need to invest in what we already have and breathe new life into sites which already play a valuable role in their community.

"I'm delighted that we can now see a time when the modernisation of buildings will be complete and all of our customers can be supported in venues which are modern, fresh, and vibrant."

He added: "As with all of our previous modernisations, we will fully involve and consult our customers and their families in deciding the most appropriate venue for them in the future, and we won't close the doors at Wheatfields until the last customer and staff member have moved to their new facility."