GOVERNMENT minister Stephen Byers visited Leigh on Friday, when he ran the rule over ideas for a super sports complex.

The Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions had been invited to take a look at Leigh by MP Andy Burnham.

Mr Burnham, president of Leigh and District Sports Partnership, is delighted with initial response to super sports facility proposals for the Marshall Street college playing field site, and wanted to ensure Mr Byers had a first-hand knowledge of the area, after plans for the much-vaunted Xanadu leisure complex -- which was zoned for the same site -- were scrapped by his department.

Mr Burnham said: "It has been encouraging to see the reaction to the plans. Many people have contacted my office to back them but, rightly, have strong views about the facilities they would like to see included in it.

"I know people will have a lot of questions about the detail, but the important thing was to be open and up front from the start. By doing that, I hope that we will take people with us and help ensure that the plans reflect the wishes of the town.

"It is very important to stress that it is early days and that there is a long way to go. I can't promise that we will be successful. But the more everybody pulls together and gets behind the plans, the greater our chances of success.

"These plans have emerged from the ashes of the Xanadu scheme. Following the collapse of Xanadu, I invited Stephen Byers to come to Leigh and see our needs for himself.

"That he agreed to come so soon shows his personal commitment -- and that of the Government -- to helping areas like ours."

After visiting the site and listening to an in-depth presentation in Leigh Town Hall, Wigan Council Chief Executive Stephen Jones and Council Leader Lord Peter Smith spoke passionately about the sporting dream to a high-powered audience including Mr Byers, Mr Burnham, Makerfield MP Ian McCartney and Wigan MP Neil Turner.

Afterwards,

Mr Byers told the Journal : "Leigh has a very good reputation as far as sports are concerned, and I think there is a lot of demand for this type of facility.

"It has been an excellent presentation and a very positive meeting. Although no formal application has yet been put forward, I am very keen that my department works closely together with Andy Burnham and the Leigh Sports Partnership at each stage of the process."

Sports partnership chairman Trevor Barton was impressed by the meeting.

He said: "We seem to have total support for this. There is a real passion about this within our community." lSOMEONE else who is pleased with the response to the sports centre scheme is 12-year-old St Mary's High School pupil Katie Parkinson.

Katie wrote to Mr Burnham, asking for more facilities to play sports, particularly hockey, and is over the moon about the planned sports complex.

She said: "I think it's great, much more than I could have hoped for. This way, all the new sports facilities will be together in one modern complex and we won't need to go out of town any more. It will be great for young people like me, especially as schools will be able to use it.

"When I carried out a questionnaire, people were asking for more fields as well as Astro-turf pitches. This complex will have all this and more, so should satisfy everyone."