A CYCLING parts manufacturer with plans to build a £2.5million velodrome has announced it will now be Olympic sized.

Hope Technologies in Calf Hall Road, Barnoldswick, unveiled its plans for the facility last year, aimed at helping them research and develop their products.

But now, the firm, which was visited by Prime Minister David Cameron last year, has re-acquired its old home on the former Fernbank Mill site in the town and has revealed the velodrome will now feature a 250-metre track.

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Sales and marketing manager Alan Weatherill said moving the proposed development to Fernbank Mill would allow for it to be bigger.

He said: “This is going to be a full-size velodrome as it will be easier to fit it all in.

“We will build it in stages so after the first third of the work we will be able to open a 100m track while work is ongoing to complete the rest of it.

“The idea is that we can get a 250m track in, whereas before we could only fit in 200m.”

Mr Weatherill said a planning application should be submitted to Pendle Council by the end of this year and, if successful, construction could begin early next year.

Once built, the track will be used as a research and development facility for the company but will also be available for use by the public.

Mr Weatherill said: “The purpose of it is to test out the products but it will be of use to the public.

“It can be difficult to get on other facilities and this will be run differently. There are not many private ones like this around. By the end of next year we could have something up that we can use as we can move in very quickly and build it up.”

Mr Weatherill said moving the facility would also free up space at the firm’s current site to increase production of state-of-the-art carbon fibre products.

He said: “We have a small testing facility at the moment but we do not have much space.

“And once testing is moved to the velodrome we can produce carbon fibre parts, where before we have only had the room to develop prototypes.”