THE firm which razed Whitefield's Elms Precinct has offered a deal in exchange for a guarantee that town hall bosses drop legal action against them.

The firm has agreed to build a fence to screen the piles of rubble from shoppers and keep out children in a bid to stop the matter being decided by a judge.

However, council bosses insist they would have to consider "very carefully" if they could trust the Isle of Man-based North West Properties to stick to its word.

Council leader Counc Derek Boden said: "The company has offered us us an olive branch but I do not think that I for one would interpret this as a firm commitment.

"Having gone as far as to take legal action, we will have to think very carefully if we are prepared to accept something other than a judgement from a court."

Demolition men, ordered in by North West Properties, staged a dawn raid on the precinct in March, reducing several empty shops to rubble.

Since then the company has refused to state its intentions for the Bury New Road site which has become a magnet for children.

Council solicitors served notice on North West Properties on environmental grounds, giving them 28 days to remove the rubble. However, the company made an eleventh hour appeal before the order was due to come into effect last Monday, September 13. It claims the rubble is the result of a "normal course of events" and the order is "excessive".

Top ranking council officers will meet to consider the company's offer but Coun Boden insisted it could take more concessions - such as a planning application - for a U-turn.

"Why has it taken the company this long to decide that it is reasonable to erect a fence?

"What it is really trying to do is defend itself against our order and suggest it is not necessary for the courts to uphold it," he said.

"I cannot say I am surprised by the actions. North West left it until almost the last minute to lodge an appeal and it was what we would expect.

"The company has asked 'what is the easiest way out of this situation to avoid incurring a lot of expense?'."

"Because of the company's track record we want to keep the pressure on it to do something constructive instead of knocking places down; we want to know its intention for the site. We have the upper hand now. By serving the order on them we have got the company to respond which is an important step as it has been difficult to get information out of them.

"We will continue to apply pressure."

The company declined to comment.

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