A TOWN centre lap dancing club has been urged to sell up so that Bolton Council can redevelop a “grot spot” street.

Cllr Martin Donaghy says that the council has been trying to acquire the Bank Street premises owned by Diamonds for a year, but has been quoted an unreasonable price.

His comments come after the club’s manager, Sean Doyle, accused the council of doing nothing to improve the run-down street.

The club denies demanding an unreasonable price for the site and says it has had no direct negotiations with the council.

Cllr Donaghy said: “Over the last 12 months, the council has been trying to acquire this property, as it is one of the last properties on that block which has not yet been acquired by the council for future development.

“Despite our best efforts, the purchase price of the building that has been quoted by the owners in no way reflected the current market value, and as such we were unable to proceed.

“This property is delaying the entire Bank Street project.

“I would earnestly call on the owners of this building to reconsider their position and to try and come to an arrangement with the council that is satisfactory to all parties.”

The Bolton News reported last week how more than one in five of the town centre’s shops are empty, prompting Conservative leader David Greenhalgh to call for the worst areas to be “flattened”.

Stephen Young, the council’s director of place, said that the council was considering the option of demolishing some of the “grot spot” sites.

The club’s manager claims that the council offered to relocate the club to another site, but it was in need of significant repairs.

Mr Doyle, who says that the club also wants to see the street regenerated, said: “The council did offer us another premises last year.

“But the building was in a state of disrepair, it had the remains of a cannabis farm in it, and had suffered fire damage from vandalism.

“We expressed an interest in the property as long as it was cleaned out, with new electricity and plumbing fitted, and all of the required certificates done.”

Mr Doyle claims that the last direct contact the club had with the council was during plans — which have since been abandoned — to redevelop the Bank Street area into a new cultural quarter almost a decade ago.

READ MORE: Sean Doyle, manager of Diamonds lap dancing and nightclub, calls on Bolton Council to sort out Bank Street

He added: “We never received anything in writing or via a phone call from the council.

“The only communication we had was from the development company, Bluemantle, who said that the council may have been interested.

“The last correspondence we had from the council was during the Church Wharf development plans, which was in 2008.”