HYNDBURN Council looks set to rubber stamp plans which will save the housing renewal scheme Project Phoenix.

The council, hoping to regenerate the troubled West Accrington area by knocking down many of its houses, hit a cash crisis when the North West Development Agency withdrew its funding.

Now Hyndburn council is set to take control of a grant totalling nearly £1million from Government regeneration agency English Partnerships, allowing it to help residents relocate and move forward plans for buying and demolishing properties.

In a report to tomorrow's meeting, Nigel Rix, director of the council's regeneration arm, Hyndburn FIRST, recommends the council passes the funding plans.

Many householders were finding it hard to move from areas affected by Project Phoenix.

The council did not have enough cash to buy the homes and residents have also been expected to stay within a certain area if they move. Now cash will be given to those who can show exceptional circumstances relating to health or hardship who wish to move outside Hyndburn.

In the report Mr Rix stated: "In the short term, it has become apparent that the criteria for the award of relocation grants proved to be somewhat inflexible in fulfilling the council's overall objectives to achieve early purchases of homes required for clearance and redevelopment and to do so while minimising hardship for vendors."

English Partnerships offered £820,000 to go with the £1.7million from the Government.