ONE of the oldest school buildings in Burnley is set to ring out to the sound of children's laughter for the first time in decades as part of ambitious new redevelopment proposals.

An ongoing project to safeguard the former Habergham Eaves Parochial School, in Trafalgar Street, could see the 1840s building transformed into a children's party HQ.

And the adjoining Caledonia Mill could be converted into a creche as part of the latest phase of the On The Banks initiative, to turn around the fortunes of the town's Weavers' Triangle district.

Emergency repairs and refurbishment were undertaken by the borough council on the building.

Plans have now been put forward by Barnfield Developments which would see the old school used by Imagination Parties, a children's party company currently based in Westgate Mill, Sandygate.

The neighbouring former Caledonia Mill, formerly home to Rotary Engineering, would see new life as a private creche, under the Barnfield scheme, with a link building constructed spanning vacant space between the two sites.

Planning agent Campbell Driver said: "This application is necessary to facilitate the operation of a creche in Caledonia Mill and a children's performing arts space in the former school house.

"Both buildings are part of the wider joint venture development between Burnley Borough Council and Barnfield Construction delivering the 'On the Banks' regeneration of the Weavers' Triangle area."

If given the go-ahead, the venture would be the latest development designed to benefit young people on the former cotton heartland site, spanning the Leeds Liverpool Canal.

Cllr Tony Harrison, community services portfolio holder, said: “Anything that transforms that area is good and It sounds a good initiative.

"It sounds like a good scheme.

"The whole of that area is being revamped.

"We have spent a fortune on it with European money and it is slowly being transformed.

“The more people using it the better and we need some housing on there now.

“If they go to that they will use the other facilities and make more use of the area.”

The Prince's Trust moved into the revamped Sandygate Mill just under two years ago, making the premises their East Lancashire headquarters and the base for a number of youth enterprise programmes.

But the original scheme, which kickstarted the overhaul, saw the old Victorian Mill transformed into a university technical college.