AN armistice has been reached in Tyldesley's 'battle of Mort Lane' between Best Friends Nursery and Wainhomes.

A compromise deal has been struck after it was revealed that Best Friends Nursery, owned by Vince and Carol Reilly, had been given its marching orders so houses could be built on the site,

Following an urgent meeting with both sides, brokered by local councillor Steve Hellier, they have now come to a compromise which allows Best Friends - catering for children under five years old - to stay on its present site for the next 12 months under licence to Wainhomes.

And to avoid further conflict, Wainhomes have agreed to build a play area at the back of the nursery while their work goes ahead on the adjoining land.

In the meantime, the council's Education Committee has stepped into the row offering to lease a piece of land in Tyldesley, probably in the grounds of a local school, for Best Friends to establish themselves long term if they will provide the building.

A jubilant Vince said: "We are delighted that we have come to this amicable agreement with Wainhomes and in our talks with the council to ensure the long-term future of our nursery.

"Apparently the council didn't realise just how serious the situation had become until Cllr Hellier put them in the picture. The result was this offer of land in Tyldesley if we provide the building, which we will be only too happy to do.

"In the meantime we will be staying put for the next 12 months while everything is sorted out. We did have another site earmarked outside Tyldesley but we were told that the council wanted us to stay in the area because there will soon be new laws coming into effect which means local authorities have to guarantee pre-school nursery places for under fours, and we are the only one already doing it in Tyldesley.

"We would like to thank Steve Hellier for doing such a sterling job on our behalf and for all his hard work. Both Carol and I are very happy with the reconciliation with Wainhomes and hope the rest of our stay here is amicable."

Cllr Hellier commented: "As part of the new Labour Government's commitment to providing places for four year olds the local authority is involved with what is called Early Years Development Plans.

"I felt that the recent problems with the Wainhomes development was creating a real risk that Best Friends Nursery would be forced to relocate outside the borough or close altogether. And in the need for us to reassure parents, the Education Department has now named Best Friends Nursery as a partner for the provision of nursery care, which offers it a more secure future."

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