RESIDENTS in Burnley are planning to transform an area of wasteland into an open space for the community.

The residents' group, Piccadilly's Moving, said the site, which includes Jessie's Park, has been a magnet for mess and anti-social behaviour since the houses that once stood on it were cleared in the 1970s.

They are now planning to reclaim it and turn it into an area that the whole community can use and enjoy.

Sarah Green, the group's secretary, said: "At the moment there are youths drinking and discarding their bottles and cans on it, fires are being set on it, people are allowing their dogs to foul there - it is a mess.

"We have already received funding from the Community Alliance to pay for bollards to be put up to stop cars driving onto it and to put some benches there. This work is the first stage of reclaiming the space for the community so people can feel safe there and so that it becomes a place that they want to go and use."

Piccadilly's Moving has organised a community fun day on the field on Sunday where residents will be asked for their ideas about what they would like to see on the site.

Sarah said: "We have a few ideas ourselves, but we want to hear what people would like there. Anything we do to improve this site will be done by the community, for the community."

The play area, known as Jessie's park, which stands in one corner of this site, was built in 1997 thanks to the efforts of residents in gaining £12,000-worth of grants to pay for it.

Piccadilly's Moving is now hoping to do the same thing for the rest of the field, with the help of a charity called the Neighbourhood Initiative Foundation, which will write a report to support bids for grant funding.

Sarah said: "Once we have an idea of what people want, we will draw up a plan and start applying for funding to transform the site."

At the fun day there will also be a bouncy castle, face painting, a bungee run and lots of other activities.