HIGH STREETS in two East Lancashire towns are set to be revived by cash from Historic England.

69 high streets across England have now been selected to receive a share of the £95 million fund through the High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme which was launched in May 2019.

On Saturday, Historic England have revealed that both Burnley and Bacup are going to receive a boost by the scheme.

Bacup is looking to help restore and repurpose some of the town’s historic buildings including the former Regal Cinema.

Cllr Jackie Oakes, deputy leader of the council and portfolio holder for economic development, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that we have been successful in this bid as it helps us concentrate on buildings which were not included in the Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) scheme and also bring about more improvements for the town.

“We have had a lot of good news recently about the town getting to the next stage of the Future High Street fund and the £2m THI scheme successfully completed.

“We have also published our exciting Bacup 2040 Vision and Masterplan, which has been shaped by residents and businesses.

“Things are really happening in the town.

“I understand our bid was deemed one of the strongest ones so I want to thank everyone including residents and businesses for their efforts in developing it.

“Bacup is well and truly on the up.

"Our job is to continue to bring in funding and investment to continue the journey the town is on.”

Cllr Charlie Briggs, leader of Burnley Council, said: "It is great news for Burnley and it is very important to get this cash.

"One part of the town has been done up so far which is fantastic and the footfall to the town is getting better.

"So it is vital to go further and bring the other part of the town into that condition and attract more visitors.

"The money is going towards the shops on the lower end of St James Street near the Empire Cinema and hopefully it will revitalise the area.

"It is looking a bit delapidated and some shops are not in a very good condition so it is something we are working on.

"The final amounts of how much we will be getting is decided in early 2020."