HYNDBURN Council is bidding for a grant of £10,000 to help fund a revamp of Accrington's main shopping Street.

If the bid is successful, the money will be added to the £250,000 the authority has set aside in its own capital budget to transform Broadway.

Last year, plans for the revamp were revealed exclusively in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

They include resurfacing and adding new benches and flower pots.

There have also been suggestions for an outdoor caf and purpose-built space to attract specialist markets like the pot fair.

The council is bidding for a share of Lancashire Local's Innovation Fund.

Lancashire Local is a pilot scheme in Hyndburn which aims to get the borough's service providers to work together.

The bid will be discussed at a Lancashire Local meeting, which is open to the public, at the Park Child and Family Centre, Norfolk Grove, Church, tonight, at 7pm.

In a report to members, Nick Moule, the council's regeneration manager, says the condition of Broadway "seriously detracts from the economic well being of the town centre and more specifically deters shoppers from using shops there, which in turn acts as a deterrent to investment by shop owners."

He adds that regeneration is deemed a very high priority by the council and Accrington Town Centre Regeneration Board.

Mr Moule says the revamp is vital to revitalise the town centre and attract more investment and shoppers

However, the initial designs approved by cabinet in December have been criticised.

Some traders felt the plans failed to bring together both sides of Broadway and the market and the deputy leader of the opposition labour group, Councillor David Myles, branded the plans "bland".

A detailed scheme has been finalised, after public consultation, and work is due to start in July and finish in early November.