Hyndburn Borough Council has received initial support for a £1.5m Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Accrington Town Centre and Pals Centenary project, a bid put together by Paul Butler Associates, a HESPR company based in Manchester.
‘It’s really good news for Accrington’, said Paul Butler, IHBC member and company founder who, with officers from Hyndburn, helped prepare the bid.
‘The centre of Accrington has suffered in recent years but nonetheless retains an attractive and historic range of buildings and d spaces. If the second round submission succeeds – and money is set aside for Accrington on the basis that the second round will be successful – then it could transform the prospects for the town, building on the work already done with the railway station and the Market Hall’.
A fascinating aspect of the bid is the development of a proposed memorial to the Accrington Pals in the Market Square area. The Accrington Pals were perhaps the most famous of the Pals regiments which were formed at the beginning of the First World War. It is fitting that this commemoration will be developed on the anniversary of the outbreak of a war which had such a profound impact on Accrington as everywhere else in the country.
The improvement to the public spaces and the buildings, along with the training and job opportunities identified, will help to revive the fortunes of this distinctive Lancashire town. Getting a Stage 1 win is a significant achievement and Paul Butler Associates are pleased to have been associated with this exciting project.
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