A PEACEFUL setting, a dreamy spire ... a tranquil oasis near the very heart of Burnley's bustling town centre.

But not for long - if planners have their way.

Demolition men will move in to smash down St James' Church Spire - a landmark for 170 years.

And the surrounding Peace Garden - created as a symbol of Burnley's hopes for world peace, in the midst of the cold war - will be swept away under the iron hand of the bulldozer.

The area set aside as a quiet and picturesque resting place for weary shoppers - but which alas at times became a haven for drunks and glue-sniffers - will give way to market forces as it is cleared and a multi-storey car park built on the site.

That, at least is the latest and most likely scenario after Burnley councillors decided in principle to sacrifice the spire and garden to allow the latest £12 million of town centre development to get under way at Curzon Street.

Council chiefs, who are sinking £4 million of cash and assets into the Curzon Street development, are prepared to splash out for a replacement garden outside the central area - the price of peace, £50,000.

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