A TOTAL of 7,000 trees will be planted at new community woodland in Huncoat.

Paths, entrances, and signs at Spout House Wood, in Bolton Avenue, will also be upgraded in a project worth £30,000.

Hyndburn Council said the new woodland would create a ‘significant resource’ for residents to enjoy, and help the environment.

In a report which to a cabinet meeting tomorrow, senior environment initiatives officer, Anne Hourican, said the popular dog walking site was currently ‘unsuitable for many people’, with residents complaining paths were wet, muddy, slippery, and sometimes impassable.

She said: “The scheme includes many measures to enable everybody to enjoy the beauty and benefits of this natural space.

“A number of entrance gateways will specifically be designed to enable ‘access for all’, including wheelchair users, mobility scooters, and tramper vehicles, and families with pushchairs.

“Shorter circular routes within the site, together with strategically placed benches, will also enable those with lower mobility to enjoy the same experience as others.”

Several experienced volunteers in the local community have already stepped forward to help with the project, and schoolchildren would also take part in activities, she added.

A group of 12 people expressed interest in forming a Friends of Spout House Wood group, following a public consultation, and 22 said they would be willing to pick up litter.

Huncoat councillor Dave Parkins said he was supportive of the plans.

He added: “It will be really nice for people, and that can only be a good thing for Huncoat, because it’s an up and coming place.

“At the moment, it’s just fields and trees.

“There are paths but they aren’t accessible.

“The cabinet is supportive, and the leader of the council, Miles Parkinson, is supportive.”

If the cabinet approves the plans, as it is expected to do, the 7,000 trees would have to be planted before the end of March, or the council would lose out on funding from the Forestry Commission, documents also revealed.