A memorial garden honouring the hundreds of East Lancashire soldiers who lost their lives in the 1916 Battle of the Somme is to be enhanced.

The improvements to the Accrington Pals Memorial Garden in the town centre's Church Street will be paid for with a grant from the government's The UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The layout will be rejigged, trees and plants will be replaced, and the square resurfaced.

A supporting statement submitted with a planning application to Hyndburn Council by town hall officials says: "Accrington Pals Memorial Garden lies centrally within the designated as Accrington Town Centre Conservation Area.

"The area on Church Street provides an important open space currently providing seating overlooking raised planters and amenity grass with a number of mature ‘Flowering Cherry’ trees.

"The trees known locally for their pink blossoms in spring can be seen illuminated after dusk due to the lighting features intertwined in the trees' branches.

"A memorial stone in the garden area dedicated to the 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington) East Lancashire Regiment, better known as “The Accrington Pals” provides a focus for reflection during local military parades and remembrance services and is central to the space.

"There are also two bespoke benches themed with depictions of World War I.

"The Accrington Pals memorial stone helps to contribute towards the community interest of the space and is the focus of a number of memorial services throughout the year helping to encourage pride and respect.

"The proposal is to uplift the Pals Memorial Garden into a more enjoyable public place for local residents to use and relax improving its contribution to the conservation area.

"The quality of the existing space has significant scope for improvement removing much of the unnecessary streetscape clutter of bollards and chains, poor quality raised planters which currently provide neglected poor quality horticultural displays and the concrete flags which are again neglected and in a poor condition.

"The existing poor quality raised beds will be removed as they look untidy. Existing street furniture such as the bollards and chains that provide a boundary to the site are also to be removed to make the area look and feel more inviting.

"Two trees are to be removed and will be replaced with three semi-mature new trees.

"The Pals memorial will remain a central feature with the benches re-positioned to look within the space helping to encourage reflection and a communal area.

"Existing lamps are to be retained and repainted in traditional colours of black and gold."