Q.What is the plan for the launch of The Rock on July 16?

A.There is a spectacular launch planned which will involve 180 local schoolchildren and community groups in the Bury Beat Parade through Central Street in The Rock. In addition to this, there is a packed schedule of exciting activities throughout the day for the whole family, so it is definitely not to be missed!

Q.Is the launch of The Rock a good thing for Bury?

A.2010 is an exciting year for Bury as lots of changes are taking place to make the town an even better place to visit, shop, work and live. There are a number of other positive regeneration projects and developments taking shape across Bury and more information about these can be found at www.burysurprising.com

Q.How will The Rock affect local independents?

A.The Rock aims to position Bury as a premier retail destination in the Greater Manchester region, and as such bring back to the town centre local shoppers and new customers from around the region. The development design aims to integrate The Rock into the existing town centre and helps all retailers capitalise on the greater footfall. The Rock also encourages local independents to take space within the development, for example high-end jeweller Peter Jackson.

Q.When will the apartments be ready?

A.It is expected that the new apartments will be ready towards the end of the year. A new show apartment at ‘Miller Homes @ The Rock’ will be available to view following the July 16 launch. For more information on the apartments visit: www.therock.nw@miller.co.uk.

Q.How much are the apartments?

A.Prices are yet to be released, but Miller Homes indicate that the first releases will be very competitively priced, to attract local buyers and people from outside the area to Bury.

Q.What are the trading hours at The Rock and is the parking free in the evenings?

A.Trading hours at The Rock will be 9am-8pm with the cinema, bowling centre and restaurants all open later. Parking will be free after 6pm for shoppers staying on to take advantage of the evening facilities on offer.

Q.What are the parking rates? Is it free on a Sunday?

A.The parking tariffs will be as follows: 0-1hr £1.20, 1-2hrs £1.70, 2-3hrs £2.10, 3-4hrs £2.50, 4-5hrs £3.50, 5-6hrs £5.00. Evening is free from 6pm until the cinema closes. Sunday is £1 flat rate all day. Overnight (6pm-8am) is £3.50 flat rate.

Q.How many parking spaces are there?

A.There are 1,250 car parking spaces at The Rock. This will add to the existing parking facilities across the town centre which brings the total to around 4,500 parking spaces for Bury.

Q.It is great The Rock will offer late night shopping, however, how will noise levels be handled?

A.As there is an evening entertainment element to The Rock, there will be more people present in the town centre in the evening and this should be seen as a positive for the local economy. The Rock leisure destination includes cinema, bowling and restaurant facilities which are all family-friendly types of entertainment which should not give cause for any undue noise disturbances. We don’t anticipate there will be any problems; however, any occurrences which take place which are not deemed appropriate will be dealt with at the time in a sensible and appropriate manner.

Q.How will congestion be dealt with?

A.We do not consider congestion to be an issue as a full assessment of the potential traffic impact of The Rock development was undertaken in the early planning stage. This included close consultation with Bury Council and other associated parties and any traffic concerns will continue to be reviewed prior and post-launch.