A COUNCIL-owned business centre will go up for auction later this month.

Blackburn and Darwen Council is putting Brookhouse Business Centre in Whalley Range up for sale.

The business centre contains six self-contained business units, five of which are fully let, producing a yearly income of £38,000.

With a total floorspace of 8,000 sq ft, the facility is being auctioned with a guide price of £375,000 and will feature among over 100 lots in the Pugh North West property auction to be held at the AJ Bell Stadium in Manchester on February 25.

Pugh managing director Paul Thompson said: “The council is focusing its resources on its other business assets designed to attract inward investment and create jobs, so Brookhouse Business Centre represents an excellent investment prospect and, not surprisingly, it is generating significant interest among potential buyers.

“The development is in a well-established mixed commercial and residential area and is less than a mile from Blackburn town centre. There is also the opportunity to extend the development to create additional accommodation, subject to obtaining the required planning consent,” added Mr Thompson.

Town hall chiefs approved to dispose of Brookhouse Business Park, off Whalley Range, if the right buyer can be found, late last year.

The announcement comes as the first warehouses at the new Mill Bank Business Park, close to junction four of the M65, are brought to the market.

Councillors sitting on the borough’s executive board have been told there are certain strategic assets which the authority are looking to divest though.

And the Labour administration is willing to forego the rental income stream for a one-off capital receipt.

Meanwhile the initial properties at Mill Bank industrial estate, off Lower Eccleshill Road, are also expected to spark interest.

Six detached industrial units have been pencilled in for the site, also bordered by Milking Lane, as part of a joint venture between the borough council and Nelson-based Barnfield Properties.

Property agents Taylor Weaver say they will vary in size from 10,000 to 30,000 square feet, with the rental price ranging from £5,417 per month, for a minimum 10-year lease.

One hundred new homes and a careers hub will also form part of a wider package, which was awarded £1.4million for a new link road back in October.