A BID to secure Portas Pilot status for Darwen could be detrimental, town councillors say.
MP Jake Berry launched a bid to win £85,000 of funding for the town centre as part of Government town centre regeneration guru Mary Portas’s project.
But a meeting of town councillors heard that the implications of such a bid would suggest the town centre was failing.
Clare Turner, town centres manager for Blackburn with Darwen Council, also said a bid was unlikely to succeed against bids from neighbouring towns that were worse off.
Ms Turner said: “Darwen will struggle to win the bid, but if it did, it could end up looking worse. Darwen has low vacancy rates on town centre shop units and has a good economy, particularly at night.
"The project could be detrimental to Darwen’s reputation.”
Coun Phil Jones said: “We are not run-down, we are pretty decent and this scheme could damage our reputation.”
MP Jake Berry launched a bid to win £85,000 of funding for the town centre as part of Government town centre regeneration guru Mary Portas’s project.
But a meeting of town councillors heard that the implications of such a bid would suggest the town centre was failing.
Clare Turner, town centres manager for Blackburn with Darwen Council, also said a bid was unlikely to succeed against bids from neighbouring towns that were worse off.
Ms Turner said: “Darwen will struggle to win the bid, but if it did, it could end up looking worse. Darwen has low vacancy rates on town centre shop units and has a good economy, particularly at night.
"The project could be detrimental to Darwen’s reputation.”
Coun Phil Jones said: “We are not run-down, we are pretty decent and this scheme could damage our reputation.”
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