IT MAY be a small sized town, but Rawtenstall is thinking big with plans for a £28 million rebirth leading to the creation of more than 1,000 jobs.

The largest redevelopment in Rossendale's history would include a massive superstore, drive-through restaurant, and even a cable car to connect Newhallhey with Ski Rossendale.

The package also provides for an update of the preserved East Lancashire Railway for daily use.

Rossendale Council is bidding for £15 million from the government's Single Regeneration Budget to redevelop Ilex mill and upgrade the railway, while Hurstwood developments is planning to develop an 11 acre site at Newhallhey.

And even if the government bid fails, Hurstwood chairman John Ashworth has promised many of his company's plans will go ahead.

So either way, the people of Rossendale win, though the best scenario would be the securing of government cash to complement the millions being pumped in by private investment.

Let's hope someone in the corridors of power is listening to this lionhearted Lancashire town.

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