£750k town plan faces axe in days
CONTROVERSIAL plans to transform the centre of Bacup could be dead in the water unless last-minute backing is secured within days.
Bacup Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) bosses have warned that county hall has until Tuesday, August 8 to agree highway changes and approve funding that would enable the town’s ‘double roundabout’ scheme to go ahead - or face it being scrapped.
Rossendale’s regeneration chief, Coun Andy MacNae said that if the plans to expand the public realm in the heart of St James Square fall through, there is no time for a new scheme to be drawn up and implemented before the THI project deadline in spring 2018.
Coun MacNae said: “We are at the point where we have to commit to it and at the last minute county council are refusing to sign off on the scheme.
“But it’s a highways scheme so they need to sign it off as an approved scheme. We’ll have run out of time to start a new scheme and we can’t take onboard more costs.
“Without being able to deliver the added space and highways improvement I think we are losing an opportunity to give Bacup a really fundamental change.”
He added: “I am really disappointed and quite angry. This leaves us with nowhere to go because we can’t redesign. We’ve tried and it doesn’t work.
“The scheme is stopped unless we get the absolute assurance from county council that they will meet the funding and sign off on the highways part of the scheme. Without that it won’t go ahead.”
The public realm aspect would cost a total £747,000, according to Coun MacNae, with £418,000 earmarked from the £2 million THI Herit- age Lottery funding and further funding met by Lancashire County Council for the changes to the road system.
The THI funds would instead have to be channelled into street improvements such as pavements and lighting.
Coun MacNae claimed it is the opposition of Rossendale East Conservative county councillor Jimmy Eaton which is blocking the scheme following a meeting of the THI board on Tuesday, August 1.
But Coun Eaton ( pictured) said he is prepared to support the scheme as long as the 1953 Coronation fountain is retained and concerns over the flow of traffic around the new system - which have been raised by residents and shopkeepers in the town - are addressed.
He said: “They are saying that I am jeopardising this scheme, and putting the onus on one county councillor for £700,000.
“As far as I’m concerned right from the start I was support in g t h e majority of people in Bacup who said they didn’t want the double roundabout and wanted to retain the fountain. I will stand by that.
“The fountain has been there for many years and that money would still be there for them to use.”
He added: “I would like to see the scheme go ahead, I am 100 per cent behind it, but for one that still retains the fountain and resolves the public concerns around the roundabouts. That’s the only stumbling block.
“I am trying to arrange an emergency meeting with the county council leader and the cabinet member for highways and hopefully we can come to a resolution before this August 8 deadline.”