RESIDENTS in Brierfield have had their concerns about the decline of the town heard by councillors who approved thousands of pounds of funding to regenerate the area.

The proposed allocation of cash from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund to the Brierfield Image Enhancement Scheme, and also to the charity Green Space, was accepted by councillors and will be split over a three year period.

The scheme in Brierfield will be carried out in two phases at a cost of more than £250,000.

Phase one will include co-ordinated street furniture, railings, signage and town centre banners and columns. Phase two will include canopies and improved footway surfacing, lighting schemes, 20 mile an hour zones, cycle ways and car park signs.

The scheme is intended to enhance the image of Brierfield town centre and will complement work being undertaken as part of other government funded regeneration work.

Last December a public consultation exercise was undertaken and all the improvements to be carried out were identified by members of the public who had concerns that the town centre was in a cycle of decline and there were a high number of empty shops.

Brierfield councillor Frank Clifford said: "The people of Brierfield seeing this on the list will rejoice and see it as a major Christmas present come early. It will lift and give encouragement to the town people and traders, some of whom have soldiered on for many years in great difficulty but still doing first class jobs and giving a first class service to the people of Brierfield and Reedley."

Coun Clifford also praised the work of Green Space, a voluntary project that runs a garden and allotment scheme for adults with severe mental health problems. He was delighted they would be receiving funding.

The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund will allow the scheme to open an extra day each week and improve staffing levels so that two members of staff are on duty on site five days a week.

There is currently a waiting list of ten people waiting to join the project.

Visitors, service users and supporters of the project were consulted and it was decided £26,000 of funding would be needed to carry out the improvements.

Both projects will be funded entirely by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, which has allocated £4,412,471 to Pendle during the next three years.