A new pocket park, more council housing and a pedestrian canal bridge all feature within Wigan council's long-term vision for Leigh published this week.
The regeneration 'roadmap' reveals the local authority's aims for the town.
It includes creating a series of linked green spaces and a new 'pocket park' in the next six years as well as promoting a greener, 'carbon neutral' town centre.
The town hall hopes to complete new council homes in Wharfdale and the Railway Arches Car Park in the next three to six years with longer-term ambitions of establishing 'attractive' and 'large-scale' housing estates.
A new pedestrian bridge would be built over the canal to connect West Bridgewater Street and The Loom in the next two years and new crossings would be created at Atherleigh Way, Spinning Jenny Way and Leigh Road.
An extension of the guided busway, to create connections with Leigh Sports Village and Wigan town centre, would also be explored further in the future.
A draft of the Strategic Regeneration Framework for Leigh town centre has now been published as a six-week consultation got underway on Monday.
Deputy leader of Wigan Council and Leigh East ward councillor, Keith Cunliffe said: “The success of our town centres is a vital priority for both the council and residents and the Covid-19 pandemic has only emphasised this.
“Leigh is excellently placed geographically and has a thriving market hall. It’s a town with rich history and a positive future, which makes it a big part of our growth plans.
“However, like many towns across the country, Leigh has been affected as people choose to spend money online rather than at high street stores.
“This plan is essential to defining a new future for the town centre and helps us to demonstrate a long-term plan, which is now essential to evidence when bidding for more resources from government and other funders.”
Residents and businesses are being asked to comment on the long-term plan which will set the foundations for the transformation of Leigh town centre.
It comes after the council committed £5m towards the Believe in Leigh Fund, which is supporting projects for young people and funding improvements at Pennington Park.
In total, £1m has been spent so far on physical improvements to Bradshawgate and increased CCTV.
Wigan council says the plan will bolster the projects being delivered as part of the £5m Believe in Leigh fund and help to secure further funding for the town.
A public consultation on the plans, which will be conducted online due to the pandemic, will run for six weeks from Monday, February 8 to Friday, March 19.
Businesses and residents can read through the framework in detail and give their feedback online by visiting www.leightowncentre.commonplace.is.
