BLUEPRINTS for a £2.5 million leisure hub have been drawn up by Burnley FC’s community arm as part of the ‘iconic’ regeneration scheme at Brierfield Mill.

Neil Hart, chief executive of Burnley FC in the Community, and his team have been in detailed discussions over transforming a substantial portion of the former Smith and Nephew site into a sports mecca for the area.

One quarter of the canalside building would house an indoor 3G pitch, sports hall, community cafe, education suites and a climbing wall, if the talks with developers Barnfield become a reality.

About half of the funding has been secured from private backers and grant applications are set to be made to the likes of the Big Lottery Fund and Sport England, in the coming months.

Mr Hart said: “It is an amazing site and it is just the right location for us, near the Burnley and Pendle border. The size of the space on offer was very attractive and now we really want the local community to be inspired by what we are trying to do.

“I’ve been here for 18 months now and it was always part of my vision to deliver a community leisure hub for Burnley FC.”

Before arriving in Burnley, he held a similar post at Watford FC, where he helped to deliver a similar £4 million leisure development for The Hornets. He followed Sean Dyche to the Clarets in January 2014.

Mr Hart added: “We are excited and ambitious for the proposed plans and we want to involve the entire community in the decision-making process from the outset.”

The next fortnight will see two community consultation events taking place at Brierfield Library, Colne Road. The first will be on August 26, from noon to 4pm, with the second on September 2, from 10am-3pm.

Cllr Mohammed Hanif, who represents Reedley ward and whose first job was at Brierfield Mill, said: “This is fantastic news and I support Burnley in giving something back to the community.

“I’m a Burnley FC supporter and it’s great to see the club investing something back into its local towns, as well as helping with the regeneration of Brierfield Mill.”

Not only does the community trust run a host of soccer schools, across the age groups, but is also involved in the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme, a number of social inclusion initiatives, raising self-esteem and battling depression, and maintains contacts with Australian, Asian and African partners.