COUNCIL bosses are to join calls for £750,000 of investment to be made into a park.

Hyndburn Council cabinet is set to decide to support a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the refurbishment and improvement of Memorial Park in Great Harwood.

The cabinet is also looking to agree in principle to allocate £50,000 to the project.

The outcome of a consultation with the Friends of Memorial Park showed that locals would like to see the refurbishment of park facilities, especially the old storage building, to provide a community base for schools. The work would also include upgrades of the war memorial and gardens.

Should the proposal to be accepted, the council plans to appoint Proffitts CIC as project manager for the work.

Cllr Ken Moss, cabinet member for parks, said: “Memorial Park is a lovely park, it just needs a few bits and pieces doing to it.

“If we can get funding sorted then we can focus on what work we can carry out.

“It is one of the few parks we’ve got left in the area which don’t have green flag status, so it is about getting over that line. There is a good friends group at the park which helps.”

The decision is to be made to apply for funding at the council cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The amount of funding to be applied for has not yet been finalised but the cabinet expect it to be in the region of £750,000.

In 2008 the parks service started working with the Friends of Memorial Park to explore the possibility of applying for funding administered via the HLF.

An initial bid for the park, created in the 1900s to remember soldiers who lost their lives, was submitted to the HLF but was unsuccessful.

Proffitts, a community interest company which has expertise in green space improvement projects, has offered to undertake the work necessary to secure HLF funding at no cost to the council.

Cllr Gareth Molineux, who represents Great Harwood on Hyndburn Council said: “I think it is absolutely fantastic that we’re trying to get funding to improve the park.

“It is the perfect opportunity to try and improve the area and get some new flowers, artwork and more.

“Accrington has got plans to remember the Accrington Pals, and we should be remembering the soldiers who fought in Great Harwood.”

A funding bid is likely to come next year.