IN a recent study of town centre vitality in Lancashire, Rawtenstall was placed 15th, behind the likes of Ormskirk, Fleetwood and Nelson.

"No disrespect to any of those places but Rawtenstall has the potential to be much higher up the list," said Stephen Ashworth, the Rossendale entrepreneur with an eye for the bigger picture.

He says the Rawtenstall transformation is to be brought about through private funding, adding: "The real beauty of our proposal is that it does not require any public funding to be delivered as long as we are supported to bring big name retailers to the town."

The Hurstwood Group, based at New Hall Hey, Rawtenstall, has developed a series of head-turning multi-million pound regeneration schemes including Shadsworth Buisness Park in Blackburn, Rossendale's Leabank country estate and more recently it secured a £3.3million design and build contract for a new Liverpool Art College.

And now Stephen is using his experience to turn his attention back to his roots -- becoming a key figure in helping Rossendale make massive strides to stage an economic recovery.

"I would like to see a day when Rawtenstall is up there with the likes of Burnley and Blackburn and I believe we can go a long, long way to making that happen."

Mr Ashworth believes the plans, which include new retail, leisure, office and industrial areas in the heart of the town, will form a vital piece of the jigsaw in the rejuvenation of Rawtenstall. Hurstwood's overall proposals for the regeneration of Rawtenstall will mean investment on a scale never seen before -- between £30 and £50 million.

More than 1,000 new jobs will be created and the Rawtenstall economy will be given a boost by over £10 million a year as shoppers stay in the borough.

Ashworth, who is married to Nicola and lives in Rawtenstall with their three children, hopes the plans will help reverse the trend which currently sees two in three Rossendale residents leaving the area to their shopping.

"We are at the centre of East Lancashire and, in terms of housing, it is becoming a location of choice for people from Manchester, Bury and Bolton."

The plan has been drawn up in consultation with Arup, the consultants working with Rossendale Council on the master plan.

The town centre plans include provision for extending the public transport network to the new leisure and retail site which, as well as direct pedestrian access between the two areas.

On top of the new jobs and investment, the spin-offs for Rawtenstall include the protection of the town's architectural heritage at Holly Mount House and Heritage Arcade.

During his time at the top Ashworth has turned the one-time house builder into one of the North West's biggest names in the property world.

The company's name was made by Stephen's late father John in the mid-1970s, but Stephen has emerged as a leader in his own right, every bit as dynamic as the company founder.

After attending Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, he went on to qualify as a surveyor and he put his new qualification to use at Hurstwood.

"I know I had a tough act to follow. My dad was such a well-known character and astute businessman, but over the last 10 years I have worked hard and have shaped The Hurstwood Group in the direction I want it to go," he says.

"We are now a genuine North West player with a turnover in excess of £20 million employing more than 200. This sort of thing hasn't happened by accident or birth right. It has been through a combination of hard work and getting the right people on the team.

"This is now an exciting time for Hurstwood.

"We are heavily involved in the regeneration of Rawtenstall town centre, drawing up a masterplan for the Weaver's Triangle in Burnley and we have schemes ongoing throughout the North West."