ITHINK Blackburn Shopping Centre looks beautiful now all the refurbishment is near completion.

But I wonder why many shop units are still empty. And why are we not attracting big High-Street retail giants like Woolworths and the Co-op, back to Blackburn?

Why are many retail outlets closing? The Shopping Centre looks OK, but with retail shops it looks like Shopping Centre when it's fully occupied.

If it's not, then it's an empty carbuncle.

Why have some names like Johnson the Cleaners and Ethel Austin left the Shopping Centre? Are the rents too high?

And why has Lord Square been left neglected? The place looks like a piece of Beirut - as if a bomb has been dropped on it.

I must congratulate Blackburn Council on the superb job done on the markets, Ainsworth Street, Blackburn railway and bus stations.

I hope it will attract more people to come to Blackburn to do their shopping in future.

S ADAM (Mr), Lincoln Road, Blackburn.

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