COUNCIL bosses have been urged to agree two land swap deals which could safeguard a ‘Valley of Stone’ gateway from Rawtenstall to Rochdale.

Key legs of a groundbreaking cycleway and bridleway link between the two towns are currently being held up two blockages, councillors were told.

But the transfer of two portions of council land, near Station Road in Facit and to the south of New Line, Bacup, could resolve the issue.

John Grimshaw, former founder of national transport charity Sustrans, has been commissioned to carry out the work by local cycling groups.

Currently a new factory, Slingco, is being constructed at the Facit site, which runs over the old railway bed, like much of the proposed gateway.

But bosses at Slingco have indicated that they would be prepared to allow a three-metre wide corridor through their car park for the route, in return for the transfer of a larger plot nearby.

Council business director Stuart Sugarman said in a Rossendale cabinet report that this would allow the release of Lancashire County Council funding totalling £42,000.

He said: “Slingco have indicated a willingness to allow this corridor through their site provided they can obtain replacement car parking.”

And while there would be a nominal loss from the identified land, it was felt the county council ‘gain’ would outweigh the disadvantage.

Another set of discussions has revolved around part of the gateway from the reservoir at New Line to Futures Park.

One option may be to run the greenway through parts of Stubbylee and Moorlands Park, although this would be subject to negotiations with a landowner concerning the diversion of a public footpath around Height Barn Farm and a land transfer involving a culvert.

Mr Sugarman added: “A willingness to dedicate the route has already been expressed informally subject to satisfactory conclusion of the culvert negotiations.”