PLANS to revamp Padiham Memorial Park moved one step closer as consultants were appointed for the first stages of a lottery bid.

Burnley Council won a £43,000 project planning grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to revamp the park last year. The money, with cash from Burnley Council, will be used to pay for work towards putting in a full application for a refurb-ishment grant.

The council have appointed Ryder Landscape Consultants from Chester to collate information for a stage one HLF Parks for People bid.

The stage one bid will be made in September 2008, with a decision in March 2009.

Further work will be needed for a stage 2 bid in March 2010.

Improvements to the park will tie into other regeneration schemes in Padiham, including the Linear Park which is due to start this year, and improvements to Padiham Leisure Centre.

Councillor Roger Frost, the council's executive member for leisure and culture, said: "This is another important step forward along the road to getting Heritage Lottery money to revitalise Memorial Park. We want to make sure that local people play a role in shaping its future."