A LONG-AWAITED hotel and leisure complex could help bring the Commonwealth Games to Bury.

The town wants to "adopt" a nation when Manchester hosts the Games in 2002, providing training facilities for athletes and quality accommodation for the country's supporters.

Council leaders say that finally building a hotel in Pyramid Park could play a key part in making the dream come true.

Bury's case is being put to athletics organisers by Marketing Manchester in Kuala Lumpur where the Games are being held in September.

Previous plans to develop Pyramid Park have fallen through, but the local authority is quietly confident that this time it will succeed.

The council is holding exclusive talks with Henry Boot Developments Ltd who are compiling a list of interested parties.

The aim is to build a hotel on land opposite Bury Town Hall, sloping down to the Metrolink line. And a new multiplex cinema, fast food outlet and other leisure facilities could be built between the tram line and the Market Street bridge, which includes the pyramids and the lake.

Planning permission has already been granted for hotel and leisure development on the two sites.

Such a scheme would complement all the recent developments in Bury ranging from Mill Gate expansion, the £5 million revamp of Bury market, the Moorgate retail park and the new pubs and clubs opening in the town's culture quarter.

Mr Dennis Taylor, council chief executive, said: "Although the national team would have to live in the Games village, we want to provide them with training facilities here, at the athletics track and swimming pool for instance. We could even do this a year before the Games when athletes visit the country for acclimatisation.

"And we want to offer a wide range of accommodation to the nation's supporters, from guest houses to special camp sites at Burrs or Goshen. But a new quality hotel could prove to be a critical component."

Mr Taylor envisaged the townsfolk joining in, with entertainments and tours of the borough.

He hoped that education and business links with the foreign visitors would continue long after the Games.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.