The jewel of East Lancs

Blackburn with Darwen has committed itself to regenerating the town centre as a way of kick-starting a much needed economic boost for its borough and the rest of East Lancashire.

The new developments are set to bring new jobs and new hope to a region blighted by industrial decline for decades. DANNY BRIERLEY reports.

BLACKBURN'S town centre strategy, drawn up by council regeneration bosses, aims to make the town the jewel in East Lancashire's crown.

The council has committed itself to a series of high profile developments, which it hopes will pull in many of the estimated 500,000 people who live in the region.

Thousands of new jobs could be created and millions of pounds of grants have already flooded into the town.

Andy Kay, the council's regeneration spokesman, said: "East Lancashire cannot succeed without Blackburn succeeding and Blackburn cannot succeed without East Lancashire.

"The two go together and are integral to one another. Blackburn has been identified as an economic guarantor for East Lancashire. That has been accepted by various government departments and other people who have an interest in the area."

Blackburn was recently given a grant of £13.5million by the North West Development Agency to fuel its burning ambitions.

The bid for the money shows that eventually the town wants to attract a total investment which totals £70m.

Around 3,000 jobs are set to be created and over 25,000 square metres of new floorspace for businesses created.

Blackburn with Darwen's key objectives lie in a series of major projects some of which are already nearing completion.

The new cinema, the redevelopment of Lord Square and Church Street, a new transport plan and an overhaul of the market structure are all designed to bring people flooding to the town for work and for pleasure.

Even the council's opposition are enthusiastic about the changes. Colin Rigby, the Conservative group leader said the council's new partnership deal with a major construction company meant the town was going through an "exciting phase".

LORD SQUARE

REIT Asset management, the company which now owns Blackburn's main shopping centre, is set to undertake an extensive £15million overhaul of the run down square. Plans have been amended to include new entrances in Church Street, which should see the new stores uniting Blackburn's two traditionally separated halves of the town.

The Evening Telegraph launched its own campaign to have Lord Square re-developed, which was backed by residents and businesses.

Work to replace the shops with a new three-storey block of larger retail outlets is due to start in August and over 200 new jobs are set to be created.

Reit and the council said demand for the large units is there, but no interested parties have been identified.

Blackburn is waiting to see if the newly renovated Lord Square will attract shoppers from surrounding towns, many of whom have been lured away from East Lancashire by more attractive alternatives.

B&Q MEGASTORE

WORK on the new B&Q megastore off Bolton Road, above, started last autumn. The new store, similar in size to one lying off the M66 near Bury, is set to draw in DIY and garden enthusiasts from all four corners of East Lancashire.

Work is due to be completed by October and developers are hoping 200-300 new jobs will be created.

The development is part of a wider scheme to link Blackburn town centre to the town's Infirmary area. The hospital is due to close in 2006 while the homes surrounding it have been included in a wider regeneration programme.

Eventually the council hopes Bolton Road can become a thriving retail and business centre with attractive and successful businesses lining one of the main routes into town. A large Argos store has already been built in the area, with a Staples mega-store and Matalan outlet nearby.

This, they hope, will encourage more people from outside Blackburn to visit the borough and spend their disposable incomes.

CHURCH STREET PAVILIONS

THE Waterloo Pavilions in Church Street have been brought back to life after years of standing empty and neglected.

The two Pavilions have been linked by a new glass structure and the work has so far cost £1.3million, £970,000 of which came from a North West Development Agency grant.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has made no secret of its intention to have two or three "high-quality" businesses brought into the pavilions so that their up-market appeal can be kept intact.

Council bosses are remaining tight-lipped about who and what will eventually occupy the Pavilions, which are set to be officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on Friday, almost two months after the original completion date.

The council said it was due to sign contacts with tenants "imminently", while the number of jobs the Pavilions bring to Blackburn is likely to be minimal.

NORTHGATE AND SUDELL CROSS

BLACKBURN with Darwen Council has identified Northgate and Sudell Cross as a further priority area it wants to see redeveloped.

Money from a £3million grant will be used to pay for a new landscaping and enhancement scheme. The new Capita building, pictured, will eventually house up to 500 members of staff and is the flagship project in this part of town.

Capita, who won contracts to deliver a range of council services, has already started to move staff into the building.

Capita chief executive Rod Aldridge said Blackburn had reason to be optimistic about its future. He added: "The new building shows the commitment we have to Blackburn with Darwen and that can have a wider benefit for the whole of East Lancashire."

Mr Aldridge said his firm had already brought hundreds of new jobs to East Lancashire and more could be on the way.

The old police station in Northgate could eventually become a town centre hotel. The huge building would take a massive amount of investment and effort to transform and the council wants to make sure any future developer is impressed by the area surrounding it.

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

BLACKBURN'S new town planners know an integral part of regeneration plans is a successful and smooth running transport plan.

Roads in and out of Blackburn are already prone to jams and the council knows it needs to ease Traffic problems if it is to attract more people to the town.

The first phase of a new bus lane scheme at Eanam was completed at the end of last year and a council spokesman said phase two, where part of Copy Nook is widened, should be ready at the end of the month.

The council has also redesigned the junction where Bolton Road meets Darwen Street and Audley Range, and a new bridge has been earmarked for the area.

The Freckleton Street bridge will be replaced by a new "Sydney Harbour" style structure paid for by a £7.9million grant from the Department of Transport.

The existing bridge is more than 100 years old and takes traffic from Bolton Road and the Townsmoor area towards King Street.

Traffic travelling in the other direction has to go under the Darwen Street bridge. But because it is so low, lorries and other high vehicles are forced on a detour around Blackburn's orbital route via Barbara Castle Way, Eanam and Higher Audley, leading to congestion.

MARKETS

WHILE business is still booming in Blackburn's market complex the structure is suffering from years of decay.

Another priority for the council, the markets could be bulldozed and replaced with a new modern structure. Blackburn with Darwen Council recently signed a partnership deal with construction giant Bovis and the markets could be the first project to be completed under the new arrangement. The alliance, following the Government's push to encourage Private Finance Initiatives, will see Bovis invest money into projects like the market development with the council putting up land and property. Commercial returns on developments will then be divided between the two.

Bovis has already signed similar partnership deals with councils in Salford, Leicester and Fort William in Scotland.

Market traders are keen to ensure that shoppers have enough car park spaces to make the venture attractive and Blackburn Chamber of Trade said any new development would have to have good links with the new Lord Square.