A DECISION on whether to allow Burnley's former Michelin site to become a £2million technology centre in an attempt to train local people and create more than 1,500 jobs for the borough is expected next week.

Burnley Borough Council's executive are to meet to discuss the proposed centre, to be jointly funded by North West Development Agency and European development money, next Tuesday.

The centre will provide a technology design, manufacturing and training facility aimed at local businesses and students and will also have on-site manufacturing equipment, testing facilities and training rooms.

The centre was originally planned to be built at Shuttleworth Mead Business Park, Padiham, but developers have switched to the Michelin site because there is more space for further development and the site is more accessible for the town centre and students from Burnley College.

Plans for the 37-acre site in Bancroft Road were first highlighted two months ago, when developers announced the site would be redeveloped into a business park creating hundreds of new jobs in the town and boosting the borough's regeneration.

Now the Government-funded NWDA has promised to treble the number of jobs lost over a ten-year period.

The site contains about 400,000sq ft of space with potential for further expansion which the NWDA hopes could be used to attract other businesses to the area.

Further details of the plan are expected to be released in the next five months.

The Michelin tyre factory, first opened in July 1960, was bought by the North West Development Agency after a downturn in the industry and cheap foreign labour prompted its closure and the loss of 452 jobs two months ago.

Burnley MP Peter Pike has welcomed the latest development, saying: "I have been involved in the negotiations over the future of the site and I obviously welcome this development, which is one of a number of technology schemes coming to the borough in the not too distant future.

"All the schemes are forward-looking, which will take us forward into the new world of technology and help create jobs and develop skills for Burnley."

At the time of the sale of the site to the NWDA, John Lancaster, factory manager for Michelin, said: "We believe that this project secures long-term job creation for the area."

Kath Reade, board member and former Burnley Council leader, said: "In purchasing the site we are demonstrating a clear commitment, not just to the local community but also to Lancashire and the region.

"The acquisition of the Michelin site will act as a catalyst for economic growth, bringing with it physical, economic and social benefits, particularly for the local community."

Of the 452 jobs to go at Michelin fewer than 20 people are still seeking work. More than 320 have found alternative employment and 30 have become self-employed.