ARTISTS are being invited to draw up plans for Hyndburn's 'panopticon' statue in a bid to avert a repeat of the flying saucer "fiasco."

The £1million project, which aims to put a piece of eye-catching artwork in each of East Lancashire's boroughs, caused outrage in Accrington when plans for a UFO-style statue to be placed on top of The Coppice were unveiled.

It would have been among the first three to be put into place - along with others at Wycoller Country Park in Pendle and Corporation Park, Blackburn.

But the saucer plans for Hyndburn was ditched in the face of public opposition -- and the threat by Hyndburn Council to refuse it planning permission.

Organisers, Mid Pennine Arts, pledged to work with Hyndburn Council to find a suitable design. The UFO will now probably be placed above Top O'th Slate in Rossendale.

And to prevent a repeat of the original controversial designs -- one included replicating the Hollywood sign to read 'Accrington' across The Coppice -- organisers say only selected firms will be invited to submit drawings.

The first round of competitions was open to anyone, but a spokesman for Hyndburn Council said: "An invited commissioning process will enable the organisers to select a number of practices to submit designs.

"This process enables the targeting of designers that are suited to the project, whilst still basing final decisions on the design concepts created with the one site in mind.

"Designers will hopefully have been selected by September, with a final design selected in January 2005."

A range of consultations have been planned, with the council being invited on a site tour next month to have the project explained to them.

The organisers hope to recreate the success of Gateshead's Angel of the North in East Lancashire. It attracted visitors, and investment as a result. Panopticons are designed to get people out of their cars and up to the sculptures to admire East Lancashire's scenery.

A public exhibition and consultation will take place at concept stage, allowing designers to get opinions, before a final consultation when the ideas have been formalised.