BLACKBURN’S Clergy Court is rising from the Cathedral Quarter building site and the town’s new leisure centre replacing Waves is close to completion.

With paving work on Railway Road finishing by the the weekend and tarmac being rolled for the new bus station, council regeneration boss Maureen Bateson is excited by progress on the new town centre.

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Her optimism is shared by Blackburn Chamber of Trade president Tony Duckworth, who sees ‘real potential’ in the rapid progress.

The steelwork for the first office block and 60-bed Premier Inn Hotel towers above the town centre as the £33 million Cathedral Quarter takes shape.

The concrete platform for the first residential Clergy Court and cloister garden for 600 years is in place.

Cathedral Canon Andrew Hindley said: “We can now see the first signs of this key part of the project appearing in front of our eyes.”

The new £5 million bus station on the old Blackburn Market site, originally due to open in the New Year, has now slipped to a March date for full operation.

Railway Road will be fully open by December 5, with paving compete by the railway station and down to the Adelphi and the taxi ranks on High Street and the Boulevard reopened.

Paving outside Morrisons is due for completion too.

All roadworks in the town centre are due to be lifted by December 5, with work from the Church Street up Eanam and Salford due to start on January 8.

The new leisure centre is now well head of schedule for a summer opening.

Mr Duckworth said: “The closure of Railway Road has been a nuisance but traders can see real potential in the Cathedral Quarter rising before us. It will open up and provide a new focus to the town centre away from The Mall and we will have people residing there in future.

“Retailers now have confidence in the future of Blackburn and these new developments.”

Coun Bateson said “People have had to be very patient as work continues on the both the bus station and the Cathedral quarter development.

“We hope this embargo and the continuation of free parking at weekends and after 3pm weekdays can reward this patience and make life easier as people celebrate the festive period. The bus station is scheduled to open in March and a lot of activity is taking place off-site. The Cathedral Quarter and the Cathedral Square are taking shape and we can look forward to these new additions to the town’s skyline.” Borough leisure boss Damian Talbot said “Work on the new Blackburn leisure centre is progressing really well. The flumes looks fantastic, the pools and the sports halls are coming on and the outside of the building look very impressive. I cannot wait to for it to open.”