ROSSENDALE Council chiefs have come under fire for discussing plans for the future of Rawtenstall's Valley Centre "behind closed doors".

Chamber of Commerce bosses raised concern when plans to revitalise the gloomy Valley Centre under the Rawtenstall Masterplan were debated by councillors at Rossendale's Executive committee as a private item -- excluding the public from the meeting.

Clive Balchin, Rossendale Chamber of Commerce president, slammed the decision and criticised council chiefs for being too "secretive".

He said: "We feel disappointed but not surprised that the council continues to debate this matter in private."

He also raised suspicion about the project's viability and added: "Surely if the project was viable the council would have been able to come out into the open sooner."

"The Valley Centre is of strategic importance to all the residents and businesses in Rossendale and the continued secrecy gives serious cause for concern.

"Other developers have been quite open with the chamber with regard to their plans for the area.

"We find it strange that the public body, ie Rossendale Borough Council, the one that should be most transparent and upfront is the most secretive."

He asked the council why they had not considered electing the experienced traders or business people of Rawtenstall on to the decision-making team.

He added: "The existing Valley Centre has an interesting planning history and was built against the general public's wishes.

"We do not want the same fate to befall any future proposal, especially if it to the financial detriment of the residents of Rossendale."

He called on the council's chief executive Owen Williams to attend a chamber of commerce meeting on July 5 to discuss plans for the Valley Centre.

Mr Williams said he had diarised the invite and hoped to attend.

He said: "The matters being discussed were commercially sensitive and therefore the contents of the report were considered in private by the Elected Members of the Committee.