NEW life will be breathed into Middlewich town centre thanks to a £120,000 management scheme.

Councillors have given the go-ahead to appoint a town centre manager who will develop a strategy which will boost the town's environment, bring in more business and improve traffic problems.

The project is a joint initiative with Congleton Borough and Cheshire County councils, Congleton Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise and South and East Cheshire Training and Enterprise Council.

Council chiefs have agreed to pump £30,000 into the project towards the total cost of £120,000 over the next three years.

In addition to Middlewich, the manager which will also cover Congleton, Alsager, Sandbach and Holmes Chapel.

Clr Jack Iddon, Congleton Borough Council's economic development chairman, said: "This is a really exciting challenge for the Town Centre Manager in developing a strategy for action in the borough's five townships which will embrace issues relating to safer communities, the environment, traffic management accessibility and retail.

"The beauty of this initiative is that its successful implementation will improve life for everyone and it will be developed in close liaison with representatives from each of the borough's five towns."

He added: "There is also a clear recognition that some of the issues that need to be addressed are common to all the towns but there are other factors which are unique to individual towns and the manager will reflect this important aspect in developing action plans."

Council chiefs hope the town centre manager will be in post by spring 1997.

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