HALF-a-million pound plans to further develop the jewel in Hyndburn’s cultural crown have been given the go ahead.

Grade II listed buildings in the grounds of the Haworth Art Gallery, in Hollins Lane, Accrington, will be transformed after the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the project £552,500.

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The former stables, motor house, petrol store and potting shed will now be converted into artist studios with exhibition space.

Other changes include an extension to the potting shed, a new entrance to the stables, new roof lighting, and the replacing of a canopy and windows.

Education, leisure and arts boss at Hyndburn Council, Cllr Ken Moss, said: “This is really fantastic news for the council, the stables and motor house and for Haworth Art Gallery.

“This grant and refurbishment work will enable us to restore them and at the same time create a hub for artists, making Haworth Art Gallery a centre of excellence for local artists.”

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Planning agent Buttress said: “The existing buildings have had little use since the 1950s. The proposals allow the complex to be utilised by individual artists and by community groups for a wide range of arts-based activities.

“The buildings will be fully repaired, refurbished and redecorated while retaining the charm and character of principle spaces.”

Council officers have already granted planning permission.

They say work cannot begin until provisions are made for ‘bat roosting opportunities’, and must not take place during the bird-breeding season, March 1 until July 31.

The council said work was expected to start ‘in the late spring, and should be completed by December’.

The studios should be up and running for artists to use by next April.

Built in 1909, alongside the construction of what is now known as Haworth Art Gallery, the building carries a Grade II listing and sits within the Christ Church Conservation Area. It was designed by York architect Walter Henry Brierley. Purpose-built as a stable and motor house, the building dates from the period when motor vehicles were becoming more common and horse-drawn transport was in decline.

Head of HLF North West, Sara Hilton, said: “The stables and motor house at Haworth Art Gallery depict a transformational part of our industrial heritage; the move from horse power to motorised vehicles.

“The newly restored buildings will tell this revolutionary story.”