AS the Thwaites tower in Blackburn town centre prepares to be demolished, forty years ago it was the Whitbred Brewery site in High Street and Salford that was set for a revamp.

Plans to build a multi-million pound town centre store and car park on the site were announced in March 1979, but traders and councillors attacked the proposal, saying it could kill many existing businesses and leave the shopping precinct a ghost of its former self.

The plans were for a store, with roof-top car park, and further parking across High Street.

The huge retail outlet would have 41,000 sq ft of floor space - three times bigger than the extended Marks and Spencer store in Blackburn.

Albert Green of Blackburn chamber of trade said that it was not needed in the town. He said: "There is adequate shopping provision in the town at the moment, and in some respects it is over-shopped.

"There is only so much money into town and a store of this size would take a lion's share and have a bad effect on the other traders.

"The proposals are a threat to existing shops and from what I understand must also be a threat to traffic flow in an already congested area."

Councillor Len Proos said any acceptance of the scheme would be an about face on the part of the council.