EAST Lancashire is set to become the home of Britain's leading energy efficiency research centre, attracting academics and new jobs to area.

Sites in Blackburn and Burnley are being considered for the Centre for Environmental, Research and Technology, which would become the country's leading base for energy conservation.

The centre is being developed by the East Lancashire Partnership, the area's main regeneration organisation, with support from Lancaster University and the University of Central Lancashire, which is based in Preston.

Funding will come from Europe and also from the North West Development Agency.

Two sites are being considered. One is the former Michelin plant in Burnley, where a £2million training centre is being proposed by the North West Development Agency.

The other is in Blackburn, on the Greenbank Industrial Estate. Blackburn with Darwen Council and Hyndburn Council have already secured the money to create an 'incubator park' in the same area.

Around £5million is being put up for the project, but the real value will be provided by the academic links to the universities. They will put up the expertise to give East Lancashire its first real research centre, while energy businesses are also expected to move to the area to support it.

It would become the country's authority on forward thinking energy conservation, attracting academics wanting to specialise in the field.

The project was unveiled at a meeting of the Blackburn Regeneration Partnership Board.

Such a centre would also lead to small and medium-sized businesses working within the same field setting up, providing badly-needed new jobs away from East Lancashire's traditional manufacturing base.

The centre would be connected to the University of Central Lancashire and Lancaster University.

The NWDA earmarked the cash for the scheme last November, and is set to approve its allocation within the next month.

Sheena Ewing, principal of Blackburn College, said: "Such a scheme is excellent news. It will lift Blackburn up to a new level and is a great boost to the facilities we have.

"We already have good facilities here and hopefully this will pave the way for better things in the future."

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Bill Taylor added: "I cannot understand why there is not a university of East Lancashire anyway.

"This centre would give the area the reputation of been pioneering and forward-thinking and hopefully, the next step would be a university."