PLANS to convert a former church school in Accrington into a resource centre for elderly residents have been axed after the costs doubled.

Age Concern Hyndburn say the £500,000 refurbishment costs at the old school house in Cannon Street, Accrington, rose to nearly £1million.

The scheme, a joint venture between the charity and St James's Church, would have provided a base for a range of services for the elderly, including health care, advice, exercise, training, and internet access already provided from the Age Concern premises in Whalley Road, Accrington.

But board members decided to look elsewhere because of the spiralling costs and delays with the lease.

Patrick Collister, chief officer with Age Concern Hyndburn, said the charity would have had to pay rent on the building for 20 years.

"We would have been responsible for the maintenance and we would never have owned it," he said. "With rent reviews taking place the board decided that the situation was such that in order to do the best for our elderly people we couldn't look at the building any further.

"To put that amount of funding into a building and never to own the building, to pay rent and be responsible for the maintenance of it would really need very, very careful thinking about." Funding for the project was being sought from a variety of sources including charitable and corporate trusts, although none had been secured.

Reverend Simon Mansfield, the vicar at St James's Church, Cannon Street, said he would be meeting with Hyndburn First director Nigel Rix later this month to try to find another use for the building.

"It's a great shame because it was going to fill a niche in the markets for the residents of Hyndburn. The building needs a huge amount spending on it, it's not just a lick of paint.

"It's in a prime site and it's a shame to let the building go to rack and ruin but we are at a crossroads and it's a question of which way we go."