ABORTED plans to transform a former Darwen gas works into a nature area could be reborn in the New Year.

The Enviroment Agency has applied to Blackburn with Darwen Council to take over plans previously approved in 2010, when Capita intended to revilatise the area.

The scheme was soon dropped when expected funds from Lancashire County Council’s REMADE scheme were removed due to budget cuts.

Now the Environment Agency hopes to start work in the New Year to deculvert the area and to make landscape improvements including installing bat boxes, a footbridge and a tree planting scheme.

Rachel Hobson from the Environment Agency said: “The River Darwen currently runs through Shorey Bank in a very straight and unnatural concrete culvert.

“We want to take the top off the culvert and create sloping bank sides, so that fish will swim through and plants will grow.

“We want to do this for the long-term benefits. Maintaining a culvert is very costly as it involves specialist equipment and engineers, and also, this scheme will remove the threat of flooding as the culvert will no longer be at risk of collapsing.”

If plans are approved, bosses at the Environment Agency expect the work to start at the end of January and to finish in March. Details on cost and funding have not been made available.

Enquiries are still being made over funding for a new footbridge, which would be made from galvanised steel, with balustrades, hand rails and galvanised steel decking with non-slip resin.

The Environment Agency are also keen to retain and spread an area of rare grass called Calamagrostis Stricta, at the site.

Sudell Councillor Roy Davies said: “Something needs to be done with that site, at the moment it’s a dumping ground.

“But I think consultation is needed on what people in the area want, and how bad the contamination of land is after the gas works was there.”