AMBITIOUS plans for a recycling plant in Accrington have been given the go-ahead after grant approval for nearly half a million pounds.

The project is the brainchild of the Clayton-le-Moors Prospects Panel, a group made up of residents and councillors which develops projects to improve their area and environment.

Members have been working for two years to secure government and European funding for the project which will create 27 new jobs.

There are seven Prospects panels in Accrington, operating under the umbrella of the Prospects Foundation. TA meeting of the People of Accrington and Church Together (PACT) group last week learned it was to get £431,000 to back the scheme over three years.

The cash will come from the Single Regeneration Budget, the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, and the Lancashire Environmental Fund.

Based at Fairfield House, on Charter Street, Accrington, the Prospects Community Recycling Project will encompass three different operations and create 27 jobs, seven of which will be supervisory, with production jobs offered to people with learning disabilities.

The scheme aims to be self-financing by the fourth year, with a projected revenue of £1.1 million including income and funding over that period.

Most of the income will be generated by sales of landscape goods such as picnic tables, planters, fencing and decking made from recycled plastic components bought in from a company in West Yorkshire.

Also included in the plans are production of animal bedding made from shredded waste cardboard discarded by shops and small businesses.

After the bedding has been used that too will be recycled to produce concentrated liquid plant food and high quality compost.

The third part of the operation will use reclaimed timber to produce a range of garden furniture for sale including bird tables, bird boxes, and benches.

The project will be run in partnership with Clitheroe-based Trinity Community Partnership who specialise in providing services for people with learning difficulties.