VICTORIAN style columns, wrought iron litter bins and decorative benches are part of a £30,000 scheme designed to bring a little sunshine to Great Harwood's main thoroughfare.

Hyndburn Borough Council have earmarked £20,000 for the scheme and Dransfield Properties, developers of the new Co-op store on Queen Street, have pledged a further £10,000 to brighten up the "sunny side" of Queen Street.

The street furniture will include Victorian lanterns with room for twin hanging baskets, to be sited along the footpath on the Mercer Hall side of Queen Street, from the Library down to Town Gate.

The plans expected to be approved by the borough's planning committee later this month, with work schedule for the summer. The number of columns and litter bins in the scheme will depend on current prices.

Hyndburn Councillor Winnifred Frankland who is chairman of Great Harwood Area Council, said: "The plans are for a series of decorative columns on the Mercer Hall side of Queen Street, the sunny side, from the library down to Towngate.

"It will make the whole area look a lot more attractive.

"At the moment the juveniles sit on the benches outside Mercer Hall, so maybe we can find something else for them to do."

What the people think about it

DOREEN HOLGATE of Coronation Street, who is retired, said: "If they are going to do this in Great Harwood they should take it all the way to the end of the street. The little shops need some decoration too. Really they should extend it to the rest of the town, not this little bit."

EDDIE SHAW of All Four Paws dog grooming shop on the 'shady' side of Queen Street was not impressed with the idea. "They could probably find something more important to spent their money on -- like keeping the streets clean and tidy. I'm not very keen on the idea"

MUf-three KAREN ANDERSON, 33, of Moss Street, said: "I think it will be nice, like the majority of other towns like Accrington and Blackburn. It's about time. I can't see anyone objecting. There's nothing else to look at in Great Harwood now everything is closing down."

JOHN METCALFE, manager of B Hodder's Family Butchers on Queen Street, said: "It'll probably help bring a few more people in, but it's whether they're going to last. Anything to help business would be good. We've been here four years and you can see it declining."