Construction is underway on a £350 million regeneration scheme in Bury town centre.

The development, which is owned by Thornfield and will be known as The Rock, will cover 1.6 million sq ft (148,640 sq m) in the heart of Bury, Greater Manchester, and bring an extra 550,000 sq ft (51,095 sq m) of retail space to the area.

Marks & Spencer and Debenhams have signed up for the centre’s anchor spots, taking 178,000 sq ft (16,535 sq m) of space between them.

An additional 50 retail units will be available, two of which have already been let to Next and River Island. Both retailers will occupy one of The Rock’s double-height stores, which range between 10,000 sq ft (930 sq m) and 20,000 sq ft (1,860 sq m).

The Rock will also have 120,000 sq ft (11,150 sq m) of leisure facilities including a bingo hall, a bowling alley and a 10-screen cinema, as well as 397 residential units. It is expected to be complete by summer 2010.

Thornfield has been backed by Bank of Scotland Corporate, which supplied a£300 million funding package. This includes£20 million for another project the developer is involved with – a 270,000 sq ft (25,085 sq m) regeneration of Thornaby town centre in Cleveland, which started in April.

Letting agents for Thornfield are CBRE and Gooch Cunliffe Whale.