SHOREY Bank, Darwen, could be transformed into a riverside walk if new plans are given the green light.

The former gas works site, just outside the town centre, has been the focus for a string of ambitious ideas.

They include plans for a £22million stadium for Darwen FC, and in August, the council identified it as one of three sites across the borough which could be used to build a retirement village.

But now Capita, which provides services for Blackburn with Darwen Council, wants to open up the River Darwen to create a green space for pedestrians and cyclists.

The culvert would be opened up and grass banks built to create a habitat for wildlife.

A new footbridge entrance off the A666 would also be built, along with bat and bird boxes, plus new lighting, seating, and litter and dog waste bins.

Boundary walls would be repaired to restore historic features, and information boards erected.

Councillor Roy Davies said: “Nothing has been done with the site since it was a gas works decades ago.

“It’s a good idea to make it into a riverside walk, but will it work in reality?

“The land is supposedly contaminated and at night time it becomes a no-go area because of youths.

“The plans for a retirement village are still being investigated, and maybe that would be a better use of the land. I think it might prevent more vandalism.”

An unspecified amount of money for the project would come from REMADE, a scheme set up by Lancashire County Council in part-nership with the Northwest Regional Development Age-ncy, which aims to deal with the region’s derelict land problem.