A QUESTION mark has been put over the future of a showpiece work of public art in Burnley -- because of rising steel costs.

The award-winning "singing ringing tree" is one of six pieces of public art set to be built in East Lancashire in the controversial £1million panopticon project.

The "tree" at Burnley's Crown Point will be made from recycled scaffolding pipes that make a sound as the wind blows across it.

But a sharp rise in the cost of steel, coupled with uncertainty on how much the unique designs will cost to build, has seen organisers frantically searching for extra cash.

Demand from China has seen steel prices double in the past year to almost US$1,000 a tonne.

Members of Burnley Council's Executive are tonight set to approve the search for another £50,000 on top of the £50,000 already secured from the North West Development Agency.

Coun Charlie Bullas said: "We are looking for additional funding from other sources but where we don't know at this stage.

"We are searching frantically but it should still be able to go ahead.

"It's like any other on-going thing. Prices rise and we have to meet them."

Coun Peter Kenyon said other panopticons using steel would also be affected by rising costs and the Burnley structure could gain funding from the original cash pool if other projects fell through.

Architects Tonkin Liu are also to be asked to go back to the drawing board to make the structure bigger so that it can be seen from across the town centre.

The executive meeting tonight is also expected to officially approve the appointment of Tonkin Liu to deliver the project so work can progress.

A report to the executive says that the panopticons -- which means all-seeing structures -- will be a unique and striking attraction for locals and visitors and a symbol of the regeneration of East Lancashire.

The "singing ringing tree" has already scooped an international design award after winning a category of competition Urban Space by Design, sponsored by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

And it has become part of an exhibition at the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum in London before even being built.

Two spots on the hillside are being considered and on September 23 a flag-flying day will see flags made by school and community groups hoisted to see which spot is the most visual.

The original plans have already been changed after horse riders and wildlife groups said if the whistling was too high-pitched it would scare animals.

The designs are expected to go to planning later this year and are scheduled to be built in 2006.