MORE than 130 extra car parking spaces could be created in Blackburn town centre.

Plans are afoot to turn a hardstanding on Brown Street into a temporary overfill car park for the existing car park on the same street.

The plot of land is vacant after being used during the construction of the new bus station.

Once the bus station was completed the area was fenced off and unused except for events, particularly the annual February funfair, which returned to Blackburn in 2017.

But through the use of these events the granular ground often becomes wet and muddy, leading to a slippery surface.

A design an access statement submitted as part of the planning application states: “Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council intends to reprioritise the land into an area that can be used to host town centre events on a more robust surface that will allow for safe foot traffic as well as adequately and safely removing surface water from the area.

“When there are no events ongoing, the area may be used as temporary overfill car park for the adjacent Brown Street car park. This will improve the mobility and safety of vehicles with a more even and robust surface.”

Council bosses hope the overfill car parking option will also help offset the parking that will be lost during the demolition works at Thwaites building in the near future where demolition has been already been approved.

More than 230 spaces will be lost when the brewery is knocked down.

It is proposed the new parking area will create 120 parking spaces, with 10 per cent set aside for mobility and parent/child spaces.

The application will go before Blackburn with Darwen Council’s planning and highways committee on Thursday next week.

Officers have recommended that members give the proposal the green light.