SENIOR councillors promised to look at the possibility of creating a new youth shelter in Mill Hill as they confirmed the original in the ward would not be replaced.

Last week Blackburn with Darwen Borough’s ruling executive board rejected a plea from local young people to re-instate the original structure.

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The shelter, which had been on the edge of Mill Hill Gardens for more than a decade, has already been shipped out to Pleasington playing fields.

Despite the cost of £6,000, environment boss Jim Smith and young people’s supremo Damian Talbot, both councillors for the ward, promised to explore alternative options for relocating some form of replacement shelter in the future.

One possibility is using the former passenger shelter from Cherry Tree railway station and placing it on the edge of Feniscliffe Playing Fields.

Both had supported rejecting the 32-signature protest petition calling for the youth shelter, around 12 months ago, to be handed back.

Cllr Smith, under whose departmental budget the shelter comes, said: “I have real sympathy with these young people.

“They behaved properly but when they left the shelter about 8pm or 9pm older youths came along and caused a nuisance.

“If we can I think we need to look at whether we can locate a new youth shelter somewhere else in or around MIll Hill where it will not cause these problems for neighbours.”

Cllr Talbot said: “I think we are punishing the wrong group of young people.

“We need to look at where else in Mill Hill some kind of youth shelter provision can be located.

Cllr Talbot said afterwards: “We are not talking about a straight replacement.

“Mill Hill Gardens is far too small and bounded by houses, a school and a main road.

“We don’t have to use a replacement for the original shelter.

“There are cheaper alternatives such as using the passenger shelter from Cherry Tree station which I believe is in council storage.”