Town centre regeneration plans have been dealt a hammer blow after a £2 million bid to the Heritage Lottery fund was rejected.



Hyndburn council’s vision was to improve shop facades on Blackburn Road and bring Accrington’s historic buildings back to life, including a refit of the Victoria Arcade.



Deputy council leader and Accrington regeneration board member Coun Clare Pritchard admitted Wednesday’s decision came as a shock.



She said: “I just think it’s really disappointing. We were really hopeful, and now we will be looking out for funding streams to make the most of what little money we have got.



“When the visitors came to see us the panel seemed quite enthusiastic and impressed. I was very confident and we ticked all the boxes and did what we had to do.”



The bid would have included £500,000 from the council’s planning fund contributed by the Tesco development.



Aileen Evans, executive director of Hyndburn Enterprise Trust, lamented a missed opportunity to bring buildings back into use.



She said: “We will also miss opportunities to bring new businesses into the town which we need. It’s a disappointing result.”



Accrington councillor Tony Dobson said the decision was ‘deeply disappointing’.



He said: “I know the council and officers have put a lot of work into structuring a deal with the help of the Tesco section 106 money to try and do the project.



“With a little bit of public money it’s surprising what can be done. The Victorian Arcade was going to be a great example of that.”



Just 12 bids overall were approved to go through to the £15.9 million funding pot.



In a statement, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) said it had decided not to put the bid through the first round, after careful consideration.



Sara Hilton, head of HLF North West, said: “This was an extremely competitive round of decision-­making and we sadly didn’t have enough money available to support plans for this particular scheme.”



In separate regeneration plans, the council offices on Broadway are in line to be adorned with a photo screen of the Accrington Pals, to mark the upcoming 100-year anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.



Other schemes on the table include a £150,000 investment into a public square and arts hub at St James’ Church, as well as a new £10 million bus station.



The council is now awaiting a decision on Accrington’s Portas Pilot bid, due in the next fortnight.