THE statue of former Blackburn MP and Labour cabinet minister Barbara Castle is to be moved temporarily into the town centre's Cathedral Square.

It is expected that the bronze artwork will remain there for three years while work on the £25million refurbishment of Blackburn College's historic Victoria building takes place.

The larger than life-size statue in Jubilee Square was unveiled in October 2021 but is now hidden by hoardings protecting the building work.

Now Blackburn with Darwen Council is seeking to move it into Cathedral Square, already home to a heritage-listed statue of Queen Victoria and the iconic 'grandmother and child' sculpture.

The authority and the Barbara Castle Statue Campaign Group (Blackburn) have applied for planning permission for the relocation.

Baroness Castle, who died aged 91 in 2002, was MP for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979 and held five high-profile government posts.

As transport minister she introduced the breathalyser, confirmed the 70mph maximum speed limit and legislated for seat belts on new cars and, as Employment Secretary, she introduced the Equal Pay Act in 1970.

After her House of Commons career, she was also a Euro-MP and a member of the House of Lords as Baroness Castle of Blackburn.

The 150 per cent life size and 6ft 4in tall bronze statue depicts Baroness Castle in her early 40s striding purposefully down the streets of the town and was created by sculptor Sam Holland.

A heritage statement submitted with the planning application says: "The application site is located at Cathedral Square in Blackburn, set to the front of One Cathedral Square and the east elevation of the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin.

"The proposed position of the statue is to be on the broad paved area, close to the junction of the Boulevard and Railway Road.

"It is proposed the statue would face North towards the town centre as if walking from the Railway Station.

"The proposed temporary location at Cathedral Square ensures the statue remains in public view in the heart of the town centre and is fully accessible to a wide audience.

"The site has been selected as it is: "A high profile and visible site within a high-quality public space; "Not on the highway of the Boulevard or over the culverted River Blakewater; "Not in the middle of events space or blocking vehicle access; "Not blocking main footpath to the railway station or obstructing pedestrians; "Not too close to the statue of Queen Victoria; and "Not on or too close to precinct of the Cathedral or the War Memorial.

"It will also contribute to creating high quality place, sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets, as well as making a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness."

The commissioning of the statue was controversial with Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Tory group leader Cllr John Slater and his regeneration spokesman Cllr Paul Marrow both criticising the use of the Section 106 developer contributions towards the £45,000 cost of its creation saying it should have been paid for entirely out of private and Labour Party donations.