ASPIRATIONS for the future of key town centre sites in the heart of Blackburn have been laid out.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has been working to regenerate the area in a bid to make the town a place where people can live and work.

Six sites are identified as being critical to the success of the council's ambitions, with potential uses detailed in a recently published Blackburn town centre supplementary planning document.

THE FORMER BLACKBURN MARKETS

The former markets site stands opposite Thwaites brewery, having been knocked down in 2013.

Following demolition, an interim bus station was built on the three-day market site, at Brown Street.

When that opened, the Boulevard bus station shut to allow the start of the £28million Cathedral Quarter development.

Construction of the new multi-million bus station in Ainsworth Street began shortly after, as well as the mini-boulevard bus interchange by the railway station.

Council bosses say this development site represents one of the main opportunities in the town centre to create new retail and commercial space, with a potential link to any new development on the Thwaites site.

According to the SPD, town planners are keen to encourage a development accommodating a mix of uses, with retail, residential, offices, leisure, restaurant and cafe, and pubs and bars all cited as preferred options.

The majority of the site is already under council ownership, which gives the local authority more autonomy in determining the future of the former markets.

The council says the potential redevelopment includes an opportunity to enhance the public realm and create a visual and physical link to the

Mall and bus station.

And the site brings the possibility of opportunity for higher density and larger scale buildings.

THWAITES BREWERY

THE second site identified as being crucial to the ongoing regeneration of Blackburn town centre is Thwaites brewery.

Thwaites and Blackburn with Darwen Council are at loggerheads over the future of the brewery site, with council bosses keen to see the site regenerated as a mixed use development with residential, leisure, restaurant and cafe, pubs and bars, and employment as their preferred choices.

But Thwaites representatives are unhappy the council do not want the land to be used for retail developments.

HOW Planning, on behalf of Thwaites, responded to the council’s consultation.

They said the site is suitable for retail use because it falls within the town centre boundary and is immediately adjacent to the main shopping area.

The council and senior figures at Thwaites had previously clashed over the brewery's plans to negotiate terms with Sainsbury's to build a supermarket on the site.

But the deal fell through after political leaders blocked further moves by Thwaites as the council had 70 years left on a 99-year-long lease on the Starkie Street car park in the middle of the brewery site.

Now the local authority says the site represents an opportunity to create a modern, unique and high quality development which would benefit from being close to the bus station and being a northern gateway to the town centre.

Planners want to encourage a mixed use scheme and are particularly supportive of a high quality residential development being put forward.

CATHEDRAL QUARTER

PROTECTING views of the cathedral are key to the further development of the Cathedral Quarter, according to council planners.

And they say there is significant potential to enhance views of the cathedral by better enclosing and framing it with well proportioned, scaled and positioned buildings.

The council's ambition is to continue the Cathedral Quarter's reimagining as a hub for high grade professional services, meaning another office block could be high on the agenda.

There are several development opportunities available within the railway station building and the council is currently working

with Network Rail and Northern on a masterplan scheme to help facilitate development within the station.

The council says new development should contribute positively to the established character of the quarter, as well as the standard of contemporary design.

Proposals will be expected to be sensitive to the traditional qualities of this historic location, but they should also be a true representation of 21st century design.

Bosses say retail, financial and professional services, business, restaurant and cafe, pubs and bars, residential and leisure would all be acceptable uses for the site.

NORTHGATE

PLANNING for the redevelopment of Northgate and the surrounding area has already begun with the Blakey Moor project and the Reel Cinema development key to brightening up that part of Blackburn town centre.

The former Waves site where the new cinema will be built links the Blackburn College campus through Blakey Moor to King William Street

and the main town centre shopping area, and enjoys high levels of footfall.

As part of the Reel Cinema development, a new central area dubbed Jubilee Square will be created with green space and public artwork.

Earlier this year, it was revealed more than £500,000 was forked out for two properties standing in the way of the multi-million pound Blakey Moor regeneration scheme.

Blackburn with Darwen Council paid the amount to businessman John Khattir for The Godfather takeaway and the neighbouring Blakey Moor Newsagents to kick-start the regeneration of Blakey Moor.

Since 2016, when the Council announced its ambitious £3 million plan to transform the area around Blakey Moor, Northgate and Lord Street West, commercial interest has increased dramatically. Supported by the Council’s small grants programme and business rates incentive, the area is already experiencing a reinvigorated food and drink offer with a number of new independent venues opening including The Lemon Tree, Hugo’s, Shh Bar, The Bees Knees and Mushies.

The council says the area at the heart of the town's leisure and cultural quarter and also benefits from proximity to Blackburn Central Library, another important cultural hub which provides daytime footfall through to the evening when King Georges Hall is open.

Any new development should create strong corners, emphasise the town's skyline and help frame key vistas and landmarks such as the Victoria building.

To that end, planners are keen to see the area used for leisure, financial and professional services, business, restaurant and cafe, pubs and bars, and residential developments.

WAINWRIGHT WAY

The Wainwright Way and surrounding area site represents an opportunity to create a distinctive urban area with high quality iconic buildings to capitalise on a key gateway to the town centre, according to council chiefs.

They say a development accommodating a mix of uses, particularly knowledge-based industries would be strongly encouraged.

Earlier this year, it was revealed Home Bargains would be taking up about half of the space on a retail park opened up by the long-delayed £7million link road.

The highway links Blackburn’s £12m ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ to the town centre and it is hoped Home Bargains will open in late 2019.

The northern plots on the site represent an opportunity to create landmark buildings as well as repair the townscape adjacent to the King Street Conservation Area.

According to planners, development accommodating a mix of uses, particularly knowledge based industries would be strongly encouraged to provide vitality and visual interest.

To that end, buildings should demonstrate a distinctive contemporary architectural style over three or four storeys.

New developments should take into consideration key landmarks such as views to the Church Tower, Blackburn Cathedral and the Byrom Street Fire Station Tower.

VICTORIA STREET/BARBARA CASTLE WAY: FABRIC BORDERS

The northern arc of Barbara Castle Way, is straddled by vacant and underused employment uses, newly-available development sites, schools,

retail and cultural facilities.

The Fabric Borders project, for which government funding has been secured, aims to make it easier for cars to get to Whalley Range and Northgate/Sudell Cross and will involve two years of roadworks on Barbara Castle Way.

It is hoped actual construction work will start in 2020/21.

The project involves new junctions on Barbara Castle Way with Randall Street and Victoria Street and the reopening of the full length of Northgate, currently closed between Duke Street and Sudell Cross, to through traffic in both directions.

The site includes the Richmond Terrace/St Johns conservation area which is currently on Historic England’s ‘At Risk Register’.

The council says this means it is imperative that positive development is secured within the area.

As the site stands, newly cleared development sites and under-used employment areas are hard to reach.

There is disconnection and severance for businesses due to lack of connections, particularly from Barbara Castle Way into Tontine Street, Sudell Cross and Northgate areas.

But the council is hopeful of creating economic activity and jobs through the project, as well as relieving town centre traffic problems.

It would also improve access to other town centre development sites and help existing, vacant and under-utilised sites become more marketable with improved access.