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10:02 am, March 7, 2008
Ferris wheel owner looking for site

By Simon Binns

A Bolton-based fairground operator is trying to sell the idea of a giant ferris wheel to two Greater Manchester councils.

Henry Hill, owner of North West Funfairs, is looking to buy a 65-metre high ferris wheel, and has approached both Bolton and Salford councils with offers to site it.

Hill has suggested Victoria Square in Bolton and Salford Quays as possible sites where he believes the £2m wheel would become a tourist attraction and rival the ferris wheel in Manchester city centre which is 60 metres tall.

Hill said: “North West Funfairs will be getting a ferris wheel and we are currently in negotiations with a number of organisations regarding where it could be sited, but things are at a very early stage.

"Salford is one option but we are talking to other people - it will definitely be in the North West - the town hall square at Bolton would be good too.”

However, some council representatives in Salford are less enthusiastic about the project. Salford City Council said that no formal approaches had been made, and Councillor Karen Garrido, Tory group leader, said: "We need to get the basics right in Salford —such as filling in the potholes on our roads."

Comments? sbinns@crain.com