A MORE grand entrance is to be built on the Ainsworth Street side of Blackburn's Mall transforming a relatively neglected part of the shopping centre The work is part of a wider development around the glass entrance which will include new retail units and a gym.

The plans will go hand-in-hand with the bus station and Cathedral Quarter developments as the town centre undergoes a massive multimillion pound facelift.

Political leaders, including General Election candidates Kate Hollern and Bob Eastwood, have welcomed the proposal - approved under delegated powers by Blackburn with Darwen Council planning officers. They said the move would 'open up' a further section of the town centre.

A spokesman for Colman Architects of London, working on behalf of bosses at The Mall, said: "Demolition of the bridge across Ainsworth Street has left a dead-end to the Market Way Mall at upper ground level with poor access and means-of-escape.

"In response, this development proposes a new entrance to solve the access problems, provide a modern and high-profile entrance and also add visual interest to an otherwise bland concrete-clad facade.

"Following the major redevelopment of the shopping centre that was completed in 2010, the new market corner has become a popular access point to the detriment of the original entrance on Ainsworth Street.

"As a result, Ainsworth Mall has suffered and out of the nine retail units on the Mall only three are trading.

"The remaining six units are vacant and have become difficult to let.

"The proposed development will bring all existing vacant space back into use by reconfiguring the existing retail areas to provide three new shop units facing onto Ainsworth Street and a new 15,700sq ft gym to compliment the shops."

Under the plans, the existing Ainsworth Street entrance will be partly demolished to form the new entrance and a location for two new cashpoints.

The existing escalators up into the Mall will be removed and a new two-storey glazed entrance tower constructed, to include two new escalators, a staircase and customer lift from street level.

The existing Mall and retail units will be stripped out back to the building shell and the lift and escalators up into Cobden Court removed.

New party walls will be constructed to form the gym and three adjacent shop units.

Labour's General Election candidate for Blackburn Kate Hollern said: "It is nice that that end of town is just starting to come together now and the pain and hard work that has gone on is starting to come to fruition.

"With the new bus station and now this development of The Mall, it will serve to expand the town centre in that direction and hopefully increase footfall with people coming to the town centre to use the new gym facilities."

Conservative candidate Bob Eastwood said: "This is a fantastic development for Blackburn town centre, but any development needs to take into account the whole of the town.

"I know speaking to traders in other parts of the town that they would be aiming for much better flow of pedestrians and traffic around the centre."

Tony Duckworth, president of the Blackburn Chamber of Trade, said: "I am delighted to see the progress of the bus station site and the way that the Boulevard redevelopment is progressing, and this just adds to that.

"This will bring new jobs and prosperity to the town."

The new entrance will be directly behind the new £5million bus station when it opens to passengers in late spring/early summer.

It will also be complimented by the completion of the ambitious Cathedral Quarter development on the former Boulevard, which is on track for a September handover.