MOVES are underway to transform part of Padiham town hall into a business hub as part of wider proposals to improve the town centre.

More than £330,000 of Growth Deal funding has been secured from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to cover the cost of the programme of refurbishment work to the first floor of the Grade II listed building.

The £331,379 funding, which has been approved subject to contract, will see 3,000 sq ft of office space which has been unused since the 2015 floods transformed into high-quality office and co-working space to meet the needs of small businesses.

Cllr Gordon Birtwistle, Burnley Council’s executive member for economy and growth, said: “This is good news for Padiham. The LEP funding will help breathe new life into this historic building in the heart of the town and support new and growing businesses.

“It is part of the council’s wider plans to improve Padiham town centre. The re-development of the first floor of the town hall to create a business hub which will provide a modern and flexible working space that caters for a wide range of businesses.

“The proposals will bring new businesses and visitors to the town’s main street, supporting existing businesses and building on other activity to regenerate the historic centre through the £1.3m Townscape Heritage Initiative”.

The funding is in addition to the £10.9m already secured by the council from the LEP and the Environment Agency for public realm improvements and flood defense works.

Chairman of the LEP Steve Fogg said: “This project, which is subject to contracting, is a great example of how the LEP uses Growth Deal funds to support economic growth and job creation. In this case this will be achieved by funding improved infrastructure to support business growth in the Padiham area and, at the same time, boosting the vitality of the town centre by putting empty space to good use.

“This initiative is part of an overall investment by the LEP in this part of Burnley borough totalling £4.9m so far and which aims to regenerate and protect Padiham town centre and the local area and unlock land for development.

“The LEP’s £320m Growth Deal programme is supporting strategically important projects like this all across Lancashire which, combined, will lay the foundation for significant growth in the county’s economy for years to come.”