COUNCIL bosses are gearing up to appoint consultants to help shape the future of Nelson town centre.

Pendle Council is looking for a firm to draw up a masterplan for the heart of the town to help grow the borough’s economy.

It says as the largest settlement in Pendle, the success of Nelson is key to the area.

When complete, the masterplan will analyse the current strengths and weaknesses of the area, plus the existing strategies and investments in place informing future action priorities.

It is hoped the masterplan will help draw investors to the town by providing an understanding of its potential.

Building on the opportunities presented by the current transport investments on the M65, the expansion plans for the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate and new housing developments, the aim is to produce a masterplan that will guide Nelson’s new economic future.

Work is currently ongoing in the town to knock down the old multi-storey car park and build a 24-hour McDonald’s in its’ place - creating 65 new jobs in the process.

It will be the first McDonald’s to open in Nelson and the 14th in East Lancashire.

The developer, Future Properties (1st) Ltd, said it will take between nine and 12 months to complete. The new store is expected to open in Spring 2020.

A council spokesman said: “The overarching objective of the document is to assess how Nelson Town Centre can sustain and grow itself and how best to support the delivery of economic growth and prosperity in the town, and in doing this, drive improvement in the quality of life of our residents and productivity of businesses, now and into the future.

“The master planning exercise and resulting proposals will be commercially based, aspirational yet deliverable, and driven by a thorough understanding of the retail, residential, health and leisure market in Nelson.

“A Phase 1 Expression of Interest has been submitted to the Future High Streets Fund and this new masterplan will help to support the development of Phase 2 proposals, should that bid be successful.”

The previous Nelson Masterplan undertaken by Building Design Partnership (BDP) was completed in July 2006.

The plan outlined a vision for the town and highlighted a number of key projects including the Market Street business centre, bus and rail interchange, and the opening of Manchester.Leeds Road to traffic.