CREWE and Nantwich are well and truly on the up, say jubilant borough councillors.

Residents are set to benefit from huge investments designed to make the area more prosperous.

The borough council's Corporate Strategy for 2004 to 2007 outlines a mission statement dedicated to improving community lifestyles through schemes to boost jobs, prosperity, health and learning.

The council's Labour leader Peter Kent says the next few years will see the biggest changes in the area for over half a decade.

He said: 'I am very excited about the plans we have for the borough. We are about to start reaping the benefits of the culmination of a lot of hard work. It is the best the borough has ever been.

'There are going to be thousands of jobs and new housing projects are planned. Investors are already looking seriously at the area and we are expecting a lot more industry to take advantage of the economic growth in the area.

'This has been going on since the 1950s when we decided that Crewe could not be dependant on the railway and Rolls Royce.'

The council estimates that more than 1,000 new jobs have been created in the past year. It aims to increase the level of employment opportunity by an average of 500 new jobs a year.

It wants to see a long-awaited £3m project to upgrade Crewe town centre get off the ground and initiatives launched to help the night economy flourish.

The area should also see an economic upturn with plans for a leisure development at Eaton Street and the expansion of Manchester Metropolitan University under way.

Other schemes include: The £2.9m restoration of Queen's Park, which includes a 75% contribution from the Heritage Lottery Fund. A £1m new cemetery. £150,000 has been set aside to build new toilets in Nantwich. £3.3m has been earmarked for improvements to swimming provisions in the borough. An extreme sports facility, costing £0.45m is planned at Tipkinder Park.

The strategy also focuses on families with plans to introduce children's centres to support young parents, multi agency centres in socially deprived areas and neighbourhood mediation services.

It says: 'The council recognises its special responsibility to secure the environmental, social and economic well being of the area it serves.

'While the priorities of the council may change as the strategy is revised over time, these commitments will remain constant.' What's your verdict? Have we never had it so good in Crewe and Nantwich?

We welcome your views.

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