COMMUNITY leaders defended a decision to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on a town centre revamp.

Eyebrows were raised by the £350,000 price tag for the redevelopment of the Bull Ring in Middlewich into a Roman-style amphitheatre.

But town councillor Chalky White hit out at the sceptics, saying the dynamic development will give the town a talking point for visitors and will cost each Middlewich resident just 82p, based on the town council's contribution.

Cllr White said: 'People are whingeing about the redevelopment but it costs them just 82p each. One man said it cost too much but I explained that it was less than half a pint to him. I offered to buy him a pint there and then - he would have got more than twice his money back - but he didn't want the pint, he just wanted to be able to keep complaining.'

Cllr White is sure the project will prove to be value for money. The bulk of the cash has come from Congleton Borough Council which invested £236,000 in the project. The kitty was increased with funding from English Heritage, Cheshire County Council, the North West Development Agency, Middlewich Town Council and Cheshire County Council.

The town council received £59,700 from the Rural Recovery Scheme, which even let councillors expand the project.

Fellow councillor Alison Roylance-White said: 'The money was there from English Heritage - it was available for regeneration and if Middlewich hadn't spent it then another town would have. If there's money available we should use it.

'The amphitheatre will be a great space available for the market, for performances, for the Folk and Boat Festival and the Norman Festival next year.'

Geoff Williams, a town guide who is heavily involved in the Middlewich Roman Project, says the amphitheatre will be an attraction included on his trails.

He said: 'You can't have this sort of development without spending the cash.

'For a long time Middlewich has been a dowdy, working town so it's nice to see projects like this.'

Work began earlier this month and is expected to be complete by the end of March.