Padiham park £1m lottery consultation

1:40pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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PEOPLE living in Padiham and surrounding areas are being given the chance to shape to see if their £1million dreams for Memorial Park can come true.

Public consultations over a Heritage Lottery Fund bid, which would bring the major windfall to the Padiham green haven, begin on Saturday.

Padiham Leisure Centre will play host to the event, which begins at noon and is open to residents across the borough.

Burnley Council has already been given a £43,000 grant to draw up their blueprints for how the Memorial Park should be transformed.

Parks development manager Ian Sturzaker said: "It's critical that as many members of the public as possible get involved in this discussion by sharing their thoughts and aspirations for the park.

"So we encourage everyone who enjoys the park or would like to see it improved to please drop by.

"Both the council and our partners, Ryder Landscape Consultants, will be there throughout the day listening to what the people of Padiham and Burnley have to say."

An initial bid for the park upgrades will be made to the lottery fund this September 2008, with a decision expected in in March 2009.

If the scheme is successful then further work will then be needed for a more detailed bid, which needs to be completed by March 2010.

Other activities lined up at the leisure centre on the day include face painting, a family quiz trail, through the park, and the opportunity to view existing ideas to improve the park.

The park plans are just one of a number of projects ongoing to improve the environment in Padiham.

Last Christmas it was announced that the town would benefit from handsouts given by two television programmes.

The People's Lottery pledged £50,000 for a riverside walk and the former Padiham to Rosegrove railway line will be upgraded as part of a national pathways scheme.

And major improvements are promised for Padiham Leisure Centre, along with a £1.6million revamp for the Linear Park.