A FORMER school in the centre of Barnoldswick could have a new future as a "cultural centre" for the town.

Last night (Thursday), Pendle Council's Executive committee was due to consider proposals to develop the former Rainhall Road School, which closed in the summer of 2001 and has stood empty and unused since then.

Members of Pendle's West Craven committee are urging the council to back the cultural centre proposals, which could see the town centre building become a thriving hub of community life.

Initial ideas include a visitor centre, tied in with a proposed "Stream and Steam" heritage trail through the town. It would highlight Barnoldswick's boom years, when cotton was king and looms clattered throughout the town night and day.

Later Barnoldswick became "the cradle of the jet engine", with Sir Frank Whittle's prototype developed in Barnoldswick by Rolls-Royce during the war and after. The proposed visitor centre could include a section on the history and development of the jet engine, and the key role played by Barnoldswick.

The town also marks the highest point on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the cultural centre could include a section on the waterway and its importance to industry and tourism.

The former school could also provide accommodation for a travelling cinema, theatre, workshops, craft markets, exhibitions and a wide variety of other uses to benefit local people and attract more visitors to the town.

It could provide a base for events such as the "Barlick Bugs" arts festival and provide a home for community groups, many of them meeting in inadequate accommodation.

A series of meetings has already been held over the future of the school, involving Barnoldswick councillors and members and officers of Lancashire County council, which still owns the building. It is hoped to persuade the county authority to hand over the former school as its contribution to the initiative.

Demand for some type of "cultural centre", bringing together the diverse aspects of the town's heritage and its thriving arts scene, was identified during a community "health check" - a survey carried out as part of the Market Towns Initiative currently under way.

When Pendle's West Craven Committee met, Coun David Whipp successfully moved a three-point resolution towards establishing a cultural centre.

First, to draw up a scheme, as a matter of urgency, to establish a cultural centre and to press for Lancashire County Council's involvement in the partnership and its agreement to hand over the building. Second, to seek the approval of Pendle's Executive for the initiative, as there could be cost implications for the council. Third, to seek a meeting with the Heritage Trust for the North West to explore the possibilities for developing the centre and any sources of funding.

Coun Whipp warned that considerable work would be needed to adapt, modernise and repair the building, with the cost for repair work already estimated at £237,000 over a five-year period. He said that although grant aid could be available, it was likely that Pendle Council would be called on for some match funding, so the backing of its Executive was crucial to the scheme proceeding.

Members of the Executive were due to consider the issue at their meeting last night, after the Herald went to press.