Cobbles to stay put in Great Harwood’s town square (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Cobbles to stay put in Great Harwood’s town square

9:51am Friday 26th August 2011 in News By Emma Cruces, Reporter

MIXED BLESSING Tree planting and new seating are also axed under the new plans

PLANS to transform Great Harwood’s town square by removing the cobbles have been axed under the revised Pennine Reach Scheme.

The original plans to revamp Towngate as part of proposals to provide more direct bus links between towns have been dubbed too expensive.

The new proposals see spending on the town centre reduced from £814,000 to £275,000.

The revisions mean tree planting, new seating, and repaving with a ‘modern non-slip’ surface around the clocktower are gone.

However, the new scheme will please community campaigners who opposed the removal of Towngate’s historic cobbles.

Great Harwood councillor Lynne Wilson said: “The historic look of the square is the unique selling point of Great Harwood, so I was never in favour of modernising it.

“However, it is incredibly disappointing that we now don’t get any money to spend on street furniture improvements.”

County and borough councillor Ciaran Wells said: “I am hoping we can still achieve a revamp by applying for other funding streams. I think we need to discover exactly what people want to see happen with the town square.”

Aspects of the scheme which remain include a new bus interchange in Blackburn Road, with improved bus stops and a bus bay on Blackburn Road to the east of the Holgate Street car park, and a bus shelter and bus lay-by adjacent to the Town Hall square.

There will also be highway improvements at the Towngate junction to improve the general flow of traffic and to help buses through the junction.

The junction is to be remodelled to remove one of the existing round-abouts, with a right turn filter for traffic turning into Delph Road.

The new bus stop and lay-by next to the Town Hall Square is described as ‘a high-specification, heritage shelter’.

The revised plans, part of the wider £35million Pennine Reach funding bid, will be presented to the government next month.

A funding decision on the scheme is expected to be made in December 2011 and, if the bid is accepted, work could begin in 2013.