PLANS have been unveiled for a new community centre in Duke Bar, Burnley.

A campaigning residents' group is confident of seeing its dreams of converting a disused clubhouse into a community centre become a reality.

Blueprints have been drawn up by the Thursby Garden Residents' Group in Duke Bar for the former canoe club building off Colne Road.

Already the organisation is working with more than two dozen local young people - but the group needs a permanent home and is pinning its hopes on refurbishing the former boathouse.

Burnley Council has agreed to lease the premises to the residents collective at a peppercorn rent for the next 25 years, as the group's temporary base in Swinless Street has been closed down.

The next hurdle will be obtaining planning perm-ission from councillors for the ambitious project, before vandals leave the building unusable.

Thursby Gardens chair-man Richard Chipps, of Pheasantford Street, said: "Historically there has been little or no youth provision in the area, apart from the Pit Top, an informal grassed area where the old Burnley mine was situated.

"The group has, for a number of months, been working with a group of around 25 disaffected young people from the area "We have arranged a fishing trip and supported them in holding a community bonfire event.

"However the residents' group is keen to get more activities underway with the young people, many of whom are already in receipt of acceptable behaviour contracts or anti-social behaviour orders, and a building is seen as a key driver for this."

Discussions are taking place with local arts lead-ers over how the inside of the clubhouse can be renovated and redecorated for the venture.

Talks have also taken place with the amenities department at Burnley Council over the possib-ility of sighting more formal play provisions, such as a ball court, if the centre proposals went ahead.

"If this proposal proves successful it would allow the community group to bring the building back into use in a relatively short space of time,"" added Mr Chipps. "It would allow them to build on the momentum they have created in engaging with the young and older people in the area."

The residents' group has been operating for more than 10 years and has a 60-strong membership.

The canoe clubhouse was formerly used by Lancashire County Council to store boating-related equipment, for activities on the nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

But it has lain empty for some time and attracted a considerable amount of attention from vandals in recent months.