THE chase is on for National Lottery cash to refurbish Accrington market hall.

A new "Crystal Palace" style market pavilion is already set to change the face of the town centre.

Now Hyndburn Council is checking whether the market hall could be revamped to coincide with the opening of the market square redevelopment.

Officers are working on a feasibility study and their proposals will form the basis of a lottery grant application, hoped to be submitted early next year.

Building work on the market square redevelopment is likely to be finished in time for trading during Christmas 1998.

To ensure the market hall can keep trading throughout the works, its refurbishment would have to be phased with the retail development construction programme.

The earliest start date on the market hall would be January 1998, with completion the following September.

The provisional timetable for preparing a National Lottery bid will be mapped out for Hyndburn environmental services committee on Tuesday night.

In the meantime, councillors are being recommended to limit market hall repairs and improvements to urgently required work.

This includes external stonework and window repairs, bird-proofing and rationalisation of part of the basement, carried over from last year.

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