A £200,000 fund for urgent repairs to the historic Towneley Hall and the course of the River Calder through its park has been announced.

Stonework around the North Tower at the Grade I-listed building began to crumble shortly before Christmas, forcing an area to be cordoned off.

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Now Burnley Council has identified £100,000 to assign specialist conservators to shoring up the facade and repair previous water damage inside the tower.

Another £107,000 has been identified, as part of the council’s 2017-18 budget, for an essential upgrade of the River Calder walls running through Towneley Park, to help prevent future flooding.

Councillors have been told the Environment Agency could step in if the danger increases and further collapses affect the river’s flow.

Cllr Bea Foster, leisure and culture cabinet member, said: “This is essential work which is needed to the tower.

“Just before last Christmas when some loose stones came off we had to place barriers around the hall for health and safety reasons.

“We have had specialist advice regarding the work and this will be handled by our strategic partner Liberata.

“But they will contract this out to a specialist heritage conservation company.

“Towneley is our jewel in the crown and we want people to be able to enjoy it to its full potential, within the limited budgets we have available.”

Council leader Cllr Mark Townsend said: “Everyone in Burnley is extremely proud of Towneley and the surrounding area and it is up to us as a council to preserve it for future generations’ enjoyment.”

David Donlan, a resources official, said in a budget report: “Essential repair work is required at Towneley Hall. This includes the removal of loose and flaking stonework to the facades of the building, the re-roofing of the North Tower, repair work associated with the ingress of water to the North Tower and repairs to other parts of the roof.” On the issue of the river walls, he added: “The walls through Towneley Park from Deer Park Road Bridge to the West of the Riverside car park are in very poor condition after having been battered by the environment for the last 150 years. They are not ‘fit for purpose’.

“Local collapses are becoming more frequent. These present a danger to the general public and also contravene the Environment Agency’s statutory obligations.”

Planned works, which would see river walls replaced by embankments, should ensure the stretch remained sound for another 75 years.

“The embankments will have low maintenance and will also improve flood storage capacity, thereby reducing the risk of flooding to the Plumbe Street area of town,” added Mr Donlan.

Maureen Frankland, Friends of Towneley Park chairman, said: “The river does go to the top of the walls at times and there have been occasions when the park has been awash.Some of the rivers walls are crumbling, and have trees growing out of them, soThis work would be welcome.”