Blackburn's new car park plan to hold 100 vehicles (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Blackburn's new car park plan to hold 100 vehicles

6:00pm Wednesday 27th June 2012 in News By Bill Jacobs , Local government reporter

BLACKBURN town centre is set to get a new car park for shoppers and office workers holding almost 100 vehicles.

The site, off Fleming Square, already contains an underground car park which has never been used after building on a proposed hotel was halted.

And ahead of further developments the area is going to be opened up for use by the public.

The owners of the site, BGSA, is now seeking planning permission for the temporary car park, which would open from September while the developer seeks a new partner for the plan.

It is part of the firm’s bid to complete the “Margo Towers” development started by Blackburn businesswoman and the Telegraph columnist Margo Grimshaw.

Already the main apartment block BGSA took over has been completed and filled with residents and the company is now in the final stages of negotiation to lease the ground floor as an Italian restaurant.

Work on fitting out the second block behind Fleming Square is almost complete and similar work on the third is about to start.

But the final piece of the jigsaw remains unlikely to be completed in the near future after Premier Inns pulled out of a proposed deal.

As a temporary measure BGSA’s marketing director Sheldon Cohen said the firm has submitted a planning application to turn the surface area into a 48-pay and display public car park and have pumped water out of the underground space to accommodate office workers’ vehicles on a contract basis.

He said subject to approval by Blackburn with Darwen Council the car park would open in September and remain until a deal for the site was secured.

The new pay and display car park would charge £1 for the first hour, £1.50 for two, £2 for three, £2.50 for up to five and £5 for more than 5 hours.

The secure underground contract parking would cost from £80 a month, Mr Sheldon added.

Long-standing trader Jeff Stone, whose hairdressers adjoins the site, said: “This is great news for local shoppers and for local shops at the Cathedral end of the town centre.”