THE new 60-bed Premier Inn in Blackburn’s £33 million Cathedral Quarter is set to open on Saturday November 7.

Borough regeneration chief Maureen Bateson has revealed the date in a report on the project to fellow councillors.

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The new hotel will create 40 jobs for local people, she disclosed.

Cllr Bateson gives the news in a report to tonight’s full Blackburn with Darwen council forum.

Her announcement comes as project manager for Eric Wright Construction Steve Rawlinson revealed work on the hotel car park would start on May 5.

He said a site meeting with Premier Inn’s bosses on Tuesday had gone well and his staff were now working on a “sample” bedroom for inspection by the chain’s fitting experts.

Council chiefs are currently looking for a restaurant chain to take over a major dining space on the ground floor of the planned hotel and a business to take the smaller cafe/delicatessen unit.

In her report to the Council Form, Cllr Bateson says: “Cathedral Quarter construction works for the office and hotel, public realm and bus interchange are still on track to complete by the end of September 2015.

“The Premier Inn is due to open on November 7 creating 40 jobs.

“The firm attended the recent My First Job event and were delighted with the response and the number of young people registering their interest.”

Mr Rawlinson said work on the scheme was going well and on target for the September 28 handover of the hotel, office block and public realms while John Turner Construction proceed rapidly with the cathedral’s new £6 million clergy court suite of residential buildings.

Mr Rawlinson said: “ We will now prepare a ‘sample’ room for the firm’s experts to look at and tweak, and on May 5 we will start work on the final Premier Inn car park between the Youth Zone and the cathedral off Jubilee Street.”