BLUEPRINTS for a major new countryside park, incorporating parts of East Lancashire, have been outlined to the man charged with assessing England's wide open spaces.

Proposals have been drawn up for a South Pennines Park, taking in moorland beside Burnley, Bacup, Colne and Ramsbottom, to afford it the same protection as the Lake District, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales.

And supporters have been pressing their case with the writer Julian Glover, who is heading up an independent panel examining whether the country's 10 national parks and 34 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), are still fit for purpose.

Moorland in the South Pennines is not only home to a number of farms, peats bogs and mountain bike trails but plays an important part in wildlife preservation.

RSPB officers have been leading works to protect the endangered twite, or Pennine finch, which rely on breeding sites in and around Cliviger and Hurstwood, near Burnley.

For the past decade efforts have been made, with the support of landowners, to reseed vital habitats with the likes of sorrel seeds and dandelions, to improve their survival chances.

Pennine Prospects, the development agency for the South Pennines, has been central to the new national park scheme and council representatives from Lancashire, Burnley and Rossendale also gave their views to Mr Glover during his visit.

Pam Warhurst, chairman of Pennine Prospects, said: "We are not seeking to become either a national park or an AONB – we want something that works specifically for our area and is in the tune with the massive environmental and social challenges we face."

She believes supporters should be given the powers to help build on their economic and environmental achievements to date.

Council leaders from Oldham, Rochdale and West Yorkshire were also on hand, as the South Pennines stretches into the territories.

An award of £183,500 was given to South Pennine supporters last year by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to advance efforts to establish the cross-border park.

Later Mr Glover said: "I'm really pleased to be visiting the South Pennines as part of this review – it's such a special place and I’m looking forward to meeting the people involved in looking after it.

"This review is not only looking at how to support and improve the existing national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but the case for new protections too and I’m keen to hear from those working, living in and enjoying the South Pennines as to what they would want to see."

The moors, which boast more than 2,500 miles of rights of way and nationally important peat bogs, was considered for national park designation, by post-war ministers, but plans were not eventually adopted.