THE future of a plot of land currently occupied by a car dealership in Montague Street, Blackburn, is surrounded by mystery.

Sanderson Bramall are planning to move from the site to a new £3million development in Whitebirk.

Thirty years of car sales will come to an end at Montague Street when the company moves on to the Whitebirk Industrial Estate in the summer of 2000.

Rumours were rife earlier this year that the dealership was on the point of moving, but company bosses refused to confirm or deny the speculation.

Now, though, the move has been confirmed and the owners of the site, Arriva, have put the plot up for sale.

A spokesman said: "We obviously cannot say what the future of the site is until we know who wants to buy it."

Sanderson Bramall's new showroom and extensive workshop facilities will be included in the £3million plan.

The six acre development site, close to the M65, will also house the Westwood Mercedes Dealership, currently based on Harwood Road, Rishton.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.