WASTELAND in Bacup's notorious Pennine Road estate could be transformed into a teenage play area or a quiet place for people to sit, following a neighbourhood consultation exercise.

Residents are hoping that the run-down piece of land in Hawthorn Road will be transformed into an attractive area for the community.

People of the Pennine Road Estate, which has been vandalised over the years, were invited to suggest ideas of how they would like to see the area developed and used.

Around 30 people attended a meeting at the Sunnycrest Centre, in Pennine Road, on Wednesday where they took part in a discussion and had a look around the land before airing their views.

Bacup Pride Community Action Group and Groundwork Rossendale are working together to consult with the local community about the future of the land and funding was secured from the Countryside Agency's Doorstep Green programme to carry out the consultation.

Joanne Regan, project assistant at Groundwork, said: "The consultation exercise went really well and people had some good ideas.

"We had already done a small consultation when we sent out questionnaires and some of the suggestions we got this time were for similar things, such as a teenage play area, a toddler play area and just somewhere quiet for people to sit.

"Other people said the area should be made attractive with ponds and water features, as well as different types of planting."

A representative from the Lancashire Constabulary also attended the meeting to look at the safety features required and to talk about how the layout could combat crime.

A second consultation will now be arranged for mid-June and the landscape architect will draw up the designs to incorporate the residents' ideas.

Joanne said: "Once we are happy with the designs we will send a report to the Countryside Agency and appeal for more funding.

"The land used to be a grassed area with a park to one side of it, which has been burned and vandalised.

"A number of houses were knocked down and the wooden play equipment was set on fire so it is now just an open space. The aim of this project is to rejuvenate the area and bring it back into use."