A NEW taxi rank is being trialled in Church Street, Blackburn, following the opening of the town’s new £8 million market.

There will be four spaces for hackney carriages to serve customers going to and from the new market hall in the ground floor of the Mall.

If they are well used the rank could be introduced on a permanent basis, council bosses said.

Church Street was closed to traffic around 10 years ago as part of the town’s orbital route road network.

Most of it will remain pedestrianised as the taxis will go on the existing car parking spaces around the HSBC bank area.

Coun Dave Harling, executive member for regeneration, said: “Thousands of people are visiting the new market every week and it is important that they have access to a taxi rank near to the venue.

“Church Street is the ideal location and we will assess the success of it after the trial period.”

Twenty thousand people visited the new market on its opening day on June 1 and the number of visitors since have remained very high, the council said.

The trial will run until Friday July 15 when the number of people who have used it will be reviewed.

Chamber of Trade president Tony Duckworth sounded a note of caution over the plans: “Traders will struggle to get access and there needs to be provision for parking.

"I don’t think it should be wholly given over to taxis.”

But opposition leader Coun Mike Lee said: “I understood that it was to be pedestrainised, but I can see why taxis would need to be sited somewhere fairly close”.