THE Ribble Valley could be the only part of East Lancashire left without a panopticon following a decision to abandon the contro-versial arts project in the borough.

Plans for the public artwork were shelved after fierce local opposition scuppered two separate projects in the valley.

The borough's MP Nigel Evans today welcomed the news and called on the rest of East Lancashire to scrap what he described as industrial furniture posing as art'.

It was revealed that the strength of feeling against the project was so strong that the name panopticon' alone would be enough to ruin any chances of a comeback for the scheme.

Today's news means the Ribble Valley could be East Lancashire's only borough without a panopticon.

The £1million project would have eventually seen six pieces of public art built across the region. Funded by the North West Development Agency and co-ordinated by Mid-Pennine Arts, the whole scheme is expected to be completed by March 2008.

So far only one of the designs has become a reality, with work almost finished on the Blackburn project, the Colourfields Sculpture in Corporation Park.

The designs for Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale have been finalised, while in Hyndburn, arts bosses are still hopeful of persuading councillors who have repeatedly thrown out plans for a statue on top of the Coppice to back a scheme.

Mr Evans said: "The whole idea was a complete waste of money and people would have been reminded of this every time their saw it.

"I hope they are all chucked out. I would rather look at an open green field than at industrial furniture posing as art."

Panopticon plans were led locally by officers and councillors from Ribble Valley Council. Chris Hughes, its community development officer, said: "Even if we wanted to we wouldn't have the time to identify a new site, go through public consultation and agree a new design.

"The funding is dependent on meeting a completion deadline in 2008 and there isn't enough time for us.

"And, the issue now would be the term panopticon' has gained a reputation in the Ribble Valley that would be difficult to overcome.

"We will now miss out on a significant piece of public art and that is a shame."

Mid-Pennine Arts refused to comment.

The latest attempt to get the artwork built in the Valley, this time overlooking a Castle Cement quarry in Chatburn, was thrown out following a series of stormy public meetings last month.

Last year people power forced the scrapping of plans to build an installation called neoSCOPE described as a large sheltering wall on top of a 500metre hill near Hurst Green.