Blackburn's £250m town centre regeneration plan revealed

The former St John's Church would be turned into offices

A £250m proposal to revitalise Blackburn town centre will be a "game-changer", the council has said.

Plans over the next decade include building 500 homes and relocating the town's Morrisons store to the former Thwaites brewery site.

Blackburn with Darwen Council said St John's Church, which was damaged in a fire in 2019, would be transformed into offices using £3.75m insurance money.

Deputy leader Phil Riley said the proposal was "an achievable vision".

He said the "ambitious" 10-year plan could create 1,000 jobs but he acknowledged town centres continued to "face economic challenges" due to the pandemic and the council "may need to flex and change" the proposals over the years.

'Green up'

The funds would come from the council, private investors and the property developer Maple Grove, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Cllr Riley said more green spaces, trees and shrubs included in the proposal would "green up the town centre".

The council has also purchased the Fleece Inn in Penny Street, with a view to refurbishing the historic premises for its reopening as a pub next autumn.

A Morrisons spokeswoman said they were "fully committed to our current store in Blackburn" and were yet to decide whether to relocate.

Further details will be published as part of the council's Local Plan update in January.