PLANS have been drawn up for new shops to be built on Whitefield's Elms Square precinct - just weeks after it was flattened by bulldozers.

Bury Council's planning department has been told by the precinct owners - Isle of Man-based Anglo International Holdings - that a planning application for a block of shops to be built on part of the demolished site will be submitted within the week.

And a spokesman for the Anglo International Holdings told the Bury Times that, if permission was granted, the shops could be completed by the summer.

The move has been welcomed by Whitefield councillor and leader of Bury Council, Coun Derek Boden.

He said: "We have been informed that they will be submitting a planning application within the week and we are led to believe that the application will be for a block of shops to be built on part of the site.

"I welcome the fact that shops are planned for the site because what consistently comes from local residents are concerns about losing their local shopping facilities." The council has, however, no indication about the future of the rest of the site.

The company spokesman would not comment on the shop plan details but said they would act "immediately" on gaining planning permission.

Local residents, councillors and Bury South MP Ivan Lewis have been campaigning for refurbishment of the run-down Elms Precinct, built in the late 1960s and showing its age for a number of years.

Last year a delegation visited Anglo International Holdings' HQ on the Isle of Man and was told that a scheme for a "new" precinct, containing shops and a sports centre, including a swimming pool, was at the planning stage.

Four weeks ago, however, bulldozers unexpectedly appeared at the precinct and began demolishing empty units, causing outrage among councillors and local residents. MP Mr Lewis gave a guarded welcome to the latest planning application.

"I will remain sceptical until I see the actual planning application," he told the Bury Times, "but if it is a block of shops I will be delighted.

"I've always said I am willing to work with the developers and the council to provide better facilities for the people of Whitefield but we have had a lot of broken promises in the past."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.