RESIDENTS are celebrating news that a controversial bus lane through Darwen is 'officially dead'.

New plans for the £40million Pennine Reach scheme, which aims to improve public transport through East Lancashire by installing a 24-hour bus lane, have been resubmitted to the government after strong opposition.

Changes include scrapping the plan to for it to pass along the A666 in Darwen.

Many parking spaces would have been lost through widening of the road.

Residents and shop owners feared it would bring traffic to a halt, stop deliveries to shops, and cause inconvenience to disabled drivers who would lose spaces.

A campaign against the plans was launched by former Darwen MP Janet Anderson and a petition was set up by Darwen Rotary Club.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, as well as the highway authority for Hyndburn, now want the project to be taken forward for consideration for funding by the Department of Transport and have made alterations to the route.

Coun Dave Harling, executive member for regeneration for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “We have tried to remove the elements that raised most objections from residents along the roads affected by the original proposals.

"The most contentious was the bus lane in Darwen and we have removed this."

Labour’s Sunnyhurst Councillor Dave Smith said: “It’s officially dead in Darwen and that’s good news for everyone.

“I extremely pleased to be able to deliver on the promise made at the election that we would get rid of this bus lane.”

Other changes include removing the Stopes Brow section, reducing Blackburn and Accrington bus station costs, reducing the scope of proposals in Rishton, Great Harwood and on Blackburn Road, Accrington, removing the proposals for Union Road, Oswaldtwistle, and reducing land purchase requirements.

The revised bid is for £34.5 million from the Department of Transport, with £5 million in total from the two councils in the years 2014/15 and 2015/16.