EMPIRE Cinemas may face legal action if they fail to start building their long-awaited new cinema in New Broadway, Ealing, by the end of October.
The site has been derelict since the old cinema was demolished in 2008. Empire initially proposed to replace it by summer 2011.
If work does not start, Ealing Council will instruct lawyers to apply for a compulsory purchase order, a cabinet meeting decided.
Leader Julian Bell, said: “We’re sick and tired of Empire’s empty promises. I’m afraid I’ve stopped believing anything they say.”
Empire recently claimed they were still committed to building the cinema and would like to open early in 2014.
They blamed the delays on disagreement over planning regulations after the company changed their initial plans from a 16- to 20-screen complex.
Cllr Bell believes other companies will want to develop the site and the borough will start looking for a partner to build the cinema.
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