A COLLIERY is to be restored as part of a £21.6million scheme to revamp parts of the county.

Oswaldtwistle's Aspen Colliery, off Blackburn Road, will be given the facelift along with its coke ovens, which are the only 'scheduled ancient monuments' - similar to listed buildings - in Hyndburn.

The work, which still has to be costed, will not only look at restoring the old ovens but improve the whole colliery, providing pedestrian access for visitors and making it a tourist attraction.

It is part of a wider multi-million pound scheme to restore historical and environmental features of Lancashire, which have fallen into disrepair.

Other work will include the creation of a community farm at Oswald Street, in Burnley, and an extension to the Yarrow Valley Country Park, at Big Wood Reservoir, in Chorley.

County council bosses secured the cash from the North West Development Agency to 'remake' over 330 hectares of derelict, under-used and neglected land during the next five years.

The county council's REMADE (Reclamation and Management of Derelict land) project will turn this derelict land into sport and play facilities, wildlife habitats, walking and cycle routes and improved landscapes.

However, people living nearby will have their say on these projects before any work starts next year.

County Coun Brian Johnson, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for urban and rural regeneration, said: "This is fantastic news for communities right across the county that have been crying out for something to be done with these neglected areas. We have secured the cash to make these projects a reality thanks to the hard work of our REMADE team who have worked solidly for months to come up with proposals for these problem sites. The £21.6million will be spent over the next five years towards reclaiming 25 per cent of the derelict land in Lancashire that currently blights our environment. We really will be making something out of nothing."

The project has been put together with the support of various groups, including other Lancashire local authorities, Groundwork, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency. Peter Wilmers and Bob Allen, both executive directors of the Lancashire Groundwork Trusts, were delighted with the news. Mr Wilmers said: "It has been a great partnership and I can say that Groundwork looks forward to playing its role in delivering the improvements to the local environment that will now follow."

Leader of Hyndburn Council, Coun Peter Britcliffe, said: "The colliery and its ovens are an essential part of our industrial heritage. It is great news that they are being restored."