A NEW £28million development in the heart of Burnley has been officially opened - moving the regeneration of the town a major step forward.

The second phase of the huge St Peter's Health and Leisure Centre was opened by Lord Tony Clarke, who chaired the Task Force into the Burnley riots of 2001, at a special ceremony yesterday.

Lord Clarke unveiled a plaque hailing the opening of the landmark building, which replaced the Thompson Centre when it closed earlier this year.

The new health facility, dubbed a mini-hospital, is being run by Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust, and takes its name from the nearby parish church.

It houses nine floors of doctors' surgeries, physiotherapists' offices, children's orthoptics services, the genito-urinary medicine clinic, as well as a speech and language therapy department.

Lord Clarke said: "People in Burnley have a tremendous heart, generosity, and determination to build a better future for their town."

The leisure aspect of the town centre building, Burnley's tallest at around 150ft above ground level, opened earlier this year and features a learner pool with movable floor, and a number of sports halls.

The main pool has one of only a handful of computer-aided drowning detection systems in the country, which monitors the movements of swimmers.

David Peat, chief executive of the Primary Care Trust, said: "This is our contribution towards the re-birth of Burnley, whose people deserve 21st Century community health and leisure facilities.

"It is highly symbolic of how Burnley is looking ahead, and how positive attitudes can conquer disillusionment and despair."

The centre is believed to be the only one of its kind in the country which combines health and leisure centres on a single site.