IT is almost 18 months since a vision of what East Lancashire could be like in the year 2020 took shape at a high-profile event held at Ewood Park, Blackburn.

'The Vision' event was organised by the East Lancashire Partnership to open the debate on goals for the future of the area and what needs to change to achieve them - from improving the transport system to raising wages, providing better housing, to creating more green spaces.

The Partnership has listened to what key players in East Lancashire have said needs to happen and has now come up with its East Lancashire Tomorrow document.

At a conference staged yesterday at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Clayton-le-Moors, a wide cross section of delegates - from managing directors to environmentalists - were asked to discuss the goals set out in the document and put forward their own priorities. Peter Butterfield, editor of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph set the scene for the conference by stressing that East Lancashire was not starting from a weak base.

"It has an awful lot going for it. Our very diversity makes our area unique."

But he said the area did have significant problems and that many East Lancashire residents were dismissive of it.

To change that and to enable local people to stand proud much needs to be done to improve the economy, environment and infrastructure. "This area has never been daunted by challenges in the past," he stressed.

The partnership will now start working with businesses, councils, the government and many others to agree plans of action to make the vision become reality.

A place to live

WHILE the extension of the M65 has undoubtedly been a boon for motorists, for those without cars East Lancashire can be a difficult place to live

Lack of an integrated public transport network means some people do not have the same access to amenities or job opportunities.

For those living in certain parts of the area there are other problems.

Crime rates in East Lancashire are higher than those in Lancashire as a whole and tend to be concentrated in certain areas.

More than one fifth of houses in East Lancashire are unfit and many thousands more are in need of renovation.

Poor quality housing has an impact on the health of the people who live in it.

It is a massive challenge to bring about a major change in the quality of housing, much of which is privately owned and rented.

The effects on the health of residents is exacerbated by poor air quality in some areas. Although East Lancashire is surrounded by some of the most picturesque scenery in the North West many of the urban areas are lacking in lacking in the green spaces that make them better places to live.

Peter Wilmers, executive director of East Lancashire Groundwork Trust, said the challenge was to turn an area often described as "the Balkans of the North West" into one on a par with a quality city.

"We need to raise our game and find better ways to work together to achieve high targets," he said.

"We did it before. We had the first electric street lighting in Haslingden and we used to have an integrated transport system in the trams.

"But we can only achieve our ambitions through working together."

Goals

Everyone to have the chance to live in decent housing

An integrated transport system

Increase greenery in town areas by 25 per cent

Everyone to live in a safe and healthy environment

A major regional centre to be developed by the year 2010 ie a university

People and communities

LIVING in East Lancashire can be decidedly bad for your health. On average, people here tend to live shorter lives and more people suffer from serious illnesses than in other parts of the country.

Poor health is linked to a variety of factors including bad housing, low incomes and air pollution.

In health and wealth terms, some of the poorest wards in the country are in East Lancashire.

Against this background, East Lancashire's population is changing rapidly.

The overall population is ageing, the ethnic minority population is growing.

Many people in East Lancashire find it difficult to access information and find out about opportunities to improve their lives.

As the information age continues to become more relevant the creation of an easily accessible network of information covering everything from training courses to transport is seen as vital.

Steve Gallagher, executive director of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said every household could be connected up to an internet service for East Lancashire early in the next century.

And he stressed the importance of stopping young people from leaving the area.

"It is hugely important that we not only halt that migration but reverse it.

"We have to create a situation where we area attracting young people to stay in and come to East Lancashire because of the jobs here, the housing, leisure facilities and so on." GOALS:

To reduce the number of people leaving East Lancashire and increase the proportion of young people

Improve services for the under fives

Set up an information service available to everyone

Halve the number of families dependent on income support by 2020

Improve life expectancy to the national average

Income, wealth and prosperity

THE fact that East Lancashire's workforce is playing a crucial role in building the Eurofighter Typhoon - one of the most advanced industrial projects ever - is a shining example of what we are capable of.

But much of East Lancashire's industry is uncompetitive and uses outdated methods.

The service sector which is behind much of the growth in the North West and national economies is under-represented in East Lancashire.

And it is the lack of those higher paid jobs in areas such as financial services which contributes to wages locally being among the lowest in the UK.

That in turn means many young people leave the area.

The plus factors for East Lancashire's economy include relatively low unemployment, a lack of congestion and low cost of living. Those factors have helped attract many new employers to East Lancashire over the past two years.

Further education colleges and training providers have achieved much in the battle to raise skill levels locally and educational standards are rising. Mike Lawton, managing director of TDS CAD-Graphics, stressed that creating the wealth needed to improve East Lancashire was becoming more challenging.

"Every day there seems to be more products made more quickly in more places around the world." And he warned some firms in the area had not yet woken up sufficiently to the internet revolution.

"If they don't wake up to it soon it will be too late."

GOALS:

To increase average earnings in East Lancashire to the national average by 2010

Improve the staying on rate of 16-year-olds in education and training to national levels

Increase gross domestic product of the area to the North West average by 2008

Increase the number of higher education places by 15 per cent by 2010

Raise the number of graduates living and working in East Lancashire to UK levels by 2010

Provide all residents with the opportunity to improve their skills and abilities.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.