AMBITIOUS plans to revamp Rawtenstall town centre, including creating an ‘urban square’ to host entertainers, are being explored in an £850,000 scheme.

The Rawtenstall Public Realm project also includes plans to project artwork onto the Asda building.

Another of the options detailed in the scheme is the creation of a new bridge over the River Irwell near Tesco.

If Rossendale Council’s £850,000 bid to the North West Development Agency (NWDA) is successful, the scheme could become a reality.

Councillors welcomed the plans, describing them as ‘long overdue’ but raised concerns over whether they would ever come to fruition.

The plans, complete with artists’ impressions, have been on display at Asda.

It is hoped the changes will entice shoppers into the town.

Regeneration chiefs are exploring the possibility of creating an urban square outside the railway station.

Visitors would emerge from the station and enter into a space with outdoor seating and cafes.

It is hoped the space would host entertainers, including buskers, as well as small one-day events. One of the options focuses on improving St Mary’s Way, with rows of trees in containers, decorative boulders and a ‘bespoke’ bus stop.

It also includes a coach drop-off point with a link through to Bank Street for pedestrians and ‘Rawtenstall’ banners hung on lampposts.

Coun June Forshaw said: “It’s long overdue. Rawtenstall is an eyesore and has been for a long time. I’m pleased that moves are ahead to alleviate the problems, but we have heard it all before and it hasn’t come to anything.”

The St Mary’s Way improvements include changes around the rundown Valley Centre shopping precinct.

Coun Jason Gledhill said: “The key to the situation is, of course, the owners of the Valley Centre, Ashcap, and we are moving forward on a plan with or without them involved.”