A BOARD of community volunteers claim they have been told to ‘go home’ after seven years working on town centre plans.

Great Harwood Regeneration Board claims they have been cut off from having a say on ambitious plans to regenerate the centre of the town.

In 2006, council officers recommended the creation of a regeneration board as the ‘main driver’ to carry out a town centre renovation plan.

Since then the body has lobbied against the closure of Great Harwood tip and seen eyesore garages and guide huts demolished in the centre of town to make way for parking.The regeneration board suggested an extension of the town’s conservation area and also lobbied to save cobbles in central square Towngate. They are also involved in the £27,500 restoration of the Mercer Memorial Clock.

Now the board say the council is causing the ‘demise’ of their group which may jeopardise completion of the town’s clock project.

Hyndburn Council and the board are said to have been locked in a row for over two years as to who is leading the overall Town Plan.

Leader of the regeneration board, John Duckworth, said volunteers had lost the support pledged by council when they were set up.

He said: “The council-initiated demise of the board may also jeopardise the completion of the lottery funded clock project. Along with the Civic Society and the Community Action Group, we represent the ‘community’ requirement in the lottery bid.

“It’s very frustrating because you hear councillors telling you to get off the settee to help your community all the time. Now they want to send us back home to the setttee as though we are in the way. Many residents and high standing businesspeople volunteered hours of their precious time.

“We hoped to resolve it, but months later we’re still at an impasse.”

Great Harwood councillor Gareth Molyneux said the split occurred because the board did not realise they had a ‘subsidiary’ role.

He said: “It’s a misinterpretation on their part as they didn’t realise they are just a sub group to the area council. We will work with them, but they have to decide what their role is. Two years have been wasted rowing already when we could have been renovating the town. Now that such long lasting changes are afoot for the town we need to put differences aside and work together.”