'Playground of the north'

Activities including mountain biking, skiing, climbing and watersports could all be included in the Adrenaline Village' project which developers want to build in a former quarry site at Lee Mill and Greens Moor above Bacup and Stacksteads.

And today business leaders said the scheme , which is the subject of a lottery bid, could help transform the whole of the region.

The proposals include the relocation of Ski Rossendale to the new site and the creation of a massive 500m main ski slope, an intermediate slope, two specialist snowboard runs, a 1,500-capacity aprs-ski centre and extensive nursery facilities.

Leisure bosses hope the centre will house England's premier mountain biking facility and provide a wide range of activities, including paragliding and dry sledging, as well as horse riding, archery and large-scale art work.

They also plan to use the quarries as natural amphitheatres for open-air summer music concerts.

A bid for funding for the project has been made to the Big Lottery Fund's Living Landmarks fund. The bid is for the People's Millions fund and the money will go to only one project in the whole country - meaning stiff competition for the East Lancashire scheme.

Project bosses say that with more than eight million potential customers living within an hour and a half of the area, the Adrenaline Gateway has the potential for massive tourism and employment bonuses and would see East Lancashire gain a new reputation as the playground of the north.

Chief Executive of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce Mike Damms said: "This is a huge opportunity and something that could help make a difference to the perception of the region and transform the economy into a visitor economy and complement the traditional strengths of manufacturing."

An extreme sports centre was suggested as one of the ideas in music guru Anthony Wilson's plans to create Pennine Lancashire.

Some of the exciting new facilities would include snowsports on the longest artificial runs in the UK, biking of all kinds from BMX to quads, skate boarding, rope courses and ballooning.

The proposals include the relocation of Ski Rossendale to the new site and the creation of a massive 500m main ski slope, an intermediate slope, two specialist snowboard runs, a 1,500-capacity aprs-ski centre and extensive nursery facilities.

Jobs would be boosted with the inclusion of workshop space as well as associated hospitality and retail units.

David Ingham, Chair of Rossendale Local Strategic Partnership said: "This is a great opportunity for East Lancashire and particularly for our young people/children. We've said time and time again that we want more leisure facilities and more things for young people to do now's our chance.

"The Adrenaline Village will put a wealth of opportunity at our doorstep and give us an internationally renowned facility that we can be proud of. It will bring jobs and income and will put East Lancashire on the map and confirm to investors that we are open for business.

"Only one project in the country will win this money and we will only be successful if everyone gets behind the bid."

A spokesman for biking magazine Singletrack said: "The proposals for the Adrenaline Centre seek to build on the existing facilities at Ski Rossendale and provide a range of sports and leisure activities that would attract visitors from within and outside the Borough. With the shockingly low amount of bridleways in the county in general we think this idea should prove to be very popular with mountain bikers."

The bid is supported by Lancashire County Developments Ltd the County Council's economic development department, Rossendale Borough Council and Rossendale Leisure Trust.

The decision by the Big Lottery Fund is expected in May.