PLANS for a major £2.4million project to transform Pendle Hill have been revealed.

Five full-time roles and 20 new apprentices could be created by the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership.

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A dozen different schemes are included in the plan which it is hoped will boost the local economy by making the area a key tourist destination by 2022.

These range from rebuilding five kilometres of dry stone walling, upgrading 10 wildlife sites, providing more footpaths for walkers and trails based on the areas diverse history.

The organisation behind the project, the Forest of Bowland Area of Natural Beauty office, will be submitting a funding bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £1.8million.

If they are successful work on the landmark, famous for the Pendle Witches, would begin in 2018.

Cathy Hopley, of the Forest of Bowland Area of Natural Beauty office, said: “At 557metres Pendle Hill is very nearly a mountain, and its relative isolation on the edge of the Pennines and the Bowland Fells makes it appear very dominant in the landscape.

“It acts as a weather vane to many of us, and is a constant backdrop to our lives, yet it has two very different and divided sides.

“These differences are rooted in its geology – the lighter limestones and shales on the Ribble Valley slopes, and the darker millstone grit and siltstones facing the towns of Colne, Nelson and Burnley.”

Like recent well-publicised art installations, such as the controversial effort to imprint ‘1612’ on the slopes in 500-foot high letters, a series of art commissions are envisaged, ranging from physical mediums to dramatic performances.

Cllr James Starkie, who represents the Pendleside villages, said: “We are working hard on the bid and have been involved in extensive consultations with landowners and accommodation providers, with a view to submitting the bid later this year.”