A MASSIVE £1.5million redevelopment will turn an historic Accrington church into a centre of music and dance as well as worship.

The project, at St James' C of E in Cannon Street, will begin later this year.

Architects have drawn up plans for the improvements which show how the main downstairs area of the church will be used as a flexible space for both worship, musical performances and a restaurant.

The designs, created by Stephen Fish, of Bolton-based Fish Associates, also show that upstairs there will be multi-purpose rooms for meetings and counselling as well as a glass-fronted chapel.

Fr David Lyon, team rector, said: "I am very excited by this imaginative project, which will breathe new life into this part of the town centre, and be a positive contribution to the life of the people who work, visit and use it.

"St James' is a key building within the town centre of Accrington, meeting the spiritual needs of a great many people.

"We are conscious that as things stand the church building is closed most of the time and we wanted to look at ways to open it up."

A new development officer whose job will be to attract funds for the project and see it through to its conclusion is to be emplo-yed later this year.

Fr Lyon, who hopes the development will be completed in 2008, added: "This is our contribution to enriching the life of the Accrington town centre. We want the church to appeal to people of all ages."

The church, which has a capacity of 500, but regularly attracts just 35 people to services. It is hoped that the facelift can help to buck the trend.

Fr Lyon said that the project is being led by the four C of E churches in the town, St James', St Peter's, St Andrew's and St Mary Magdal-ene's, in conjunction with Hyndburn Council and the Blackburn Diocese.

Funding is to be sought from their partners as well as the Church of England's Church Urban Fund and the National Lottery.