REGENERATION leaders are bidding for government cash to build four major projects - after kicking five others into the long grass.

Council chiefs want £22million from the regional growth fund - the successor to regional development agencies - to create 3,000 jobs in Blackburn, awtenstall, Hapton and Brierfield.

But there are fears East Lancashire may get only a quarter of the cash requested, putting huge question marks over the developments.

Bosses have earmarked Blackburn’s Cathedral Quarter, Rawtenstall’s dilapidated Valley Centre, the Burnley Bridge business park in Hapton and the former Smith and Nephew mill in Brierfield.

It means cash bids for five schemes proposed before the North West Development Agency was axed - Whitebirk business park in Blackburn, Barrow Brook near Clitheroe, the Todmorden Curve rail link, Burnley’s Weavers’ Triangle and the Rossendale Adrenaline Gateway - have been snubbed because far less money is available.

This had been feared back in the summer.

Bosses are trying to get money for the Todmorden Curve and Weavers' Triangle from other sources.

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce chief executive Mike Damms said he believed a £22million bid was optimistic.

He said: “Investment is very important but we are not naive.

“We know it is going to be very competitive and given the money available, £5million would be a par result for East Lancashire.”

Pendle Council leader Mike Blomeley said town hall bosses were in talks with charity Islamic Help about buying the Grade II-listed Brierfield Mills building in the hope of converting it into business units.

Leaders hope to hear back from the Government within 50 days.