6
IN VIEW
SOMETHING’S BREWING IN BLACKBURN
Special report by Ged Henderson
Former Thwaites brewery site
An ambitious £250m ‘concept masterplan’ for Blackburn town centre which includes the former Thwaites brewery site has been officially unveiled.
It sets out proposals to bring forward development sites, with up to 500 town centre homes and 1,000 new jobs anticipated.
That growth is linked to the development of a new business district focused on growth in low carbon, green and renewable industries.
The publication of the masterplan heralds the start of a busy 2022 for Blackburn with Darwen Council and its development partner Maple Grove, which is part of the Eric Wright Group.
It is a year that will see further details brought forward as the team behind the vision looks to assemble sites, work up planning applications and begin work on early development phases.
The council has also revealed it is “actively engaging” several potential strategic investors and businesses to explore opportunities for private sector investment and business expansion proposals.
The new framework talks of ‘low carbon town centre living’ and a 5G roll-out creating a ‘super-connected town centre’.
Further details are set to be published later this month as part of the council’s Local Plan update.
Councillor Phil Riley, executive member for growth and development at the local authority,
said: “I am pleased to confirm we are already speaking to a number of partners about delivering the different schemes outlined in this blueprint, which we are confident we will be able to provide further information in the New Year.
“Although our plans are ambitious, we are confident that this is an achievable vision that brings forward development proposals for our strategic town centre sites that will be a game-changer in terms of transforming the centre of Blackburn.”
The next steps are
to get on and deliver the projects that will create hundreds of new jobs
Andrew Dewhurst, development director for Maple Grove, added: “We are pleased with the progress made since acquiring the site earlier this year.”
Meanwhile, the Darwen Town Deal Board received a welcome present when the government confirmed just before Christmas that it had officially signed off on £25m of funding for the town – the maximum amount available.
The next task is for board members is to start to develop and assess the businesses cases needed for each of the projects included in the delivery plan agreed with Whitehall.
Wayne Wild, who chairs the deal board, said: “Our bid was all about focusing on what can help make a real difference for the future of Darwen and for its residents and we’re really looking forward to building on that in the early New Year.
“While a huge amount of work went into developing the successful bid, we know that this is very much just the start and that there’s a lot of hard work ahead of us as part of this five-year project.
“We will be sharing more details on key proposals and engaging with residents, businesses and other stakeholders over the coming months.”
Jake Berry, MP for Darwen and Rossendale, said: “It is probably the single largest public investment in Darwen’s history – an investment that will have a substantial impact on our town’s future.
“The next steps are to get on and deliver the projects that will create hundreds of new jobs, attract millions of new visitors and ensure we continue to deliver the government’s Levelling Up agenda.”
Blackburn and Darwen hotspot: page 71
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