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Artist’s impression of Blackburn Star Square STAR RISING WITH £45M MOVE
From a single site in Blackburn to 36 primary and secondary free schools and academies across the country is significant growth already.
And now Star Academies has signed on to be the anchor tenant in a landmark £45m Blackburn town centre regeneration development on the former Thwaites brewery site - the biggest of its kind in Lancashire.
The multi academy trust stepped in after the University of Lancashire withdrew from its proposals to expand into the town, citing financial pressures in the university sector.
That has given Star Academies the opportunity to relocate its headquarters and National Institute of Teaching – which has a contract from the Department for Education to deliver teacher training – to what will become 1 Star Square.
The building will serve as a hub for educational leadership, training and innovation, creating a focal point for knowledge, research and economic growth in the town centre.
The move represents the next step on Star Academies’ growth journey, as outlined by executive director for capital and infrastructure David Holland.
David said: “We started with one school in Blackburn and now we’ve got 36. We have 3,500 staff nationally and 23,000 pupils.
“We have had a significant capital programme approaching £500m in terms of capital and schools that we have built throughout.
“We’ve gone from a very small operation in Blackburn to quite a substantial operation, one of the biggest multi academy trusts in England.
“We now have five regional hubs that we operate within, dotted across the country in Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and then some down in London. But our head office and home is Blackburn.”
For years, Star Academies has been based at the former Blakewater School site in Shadsworth Road. It was a temporary home while a permanent home was found, with one key requirement: it had to be in Blackburn.
David said: “We’ve been looking for accommodation for our head office for quite a number of years but we were very focused and keen to stay within Blackburn.
“When the opportunity came up with the new build, that was something we were very interested in. We have worked very constructively with Blackburn with Darwen Council for many years, so all the stars aligned, pardon the pun.”
Construction giant Kier is set to be appointed as the contractor for the development, the first phase of which will include construction of
floors will be office accommodation. There should be a lot of footfall in that locality. It’s bringing people into the town centre really.
“You’re going to have hundreds a year initially and, if it goes into full university status, that could escalate into many hundreds a year.”
Coun Quesir Mahmood, deputy leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and its executive member for growth and development, said: “Star Square is one of the most significant regeneration schemes currently being developed in Lancashire and it’s a key part of our £250m vision for Blackburn town centre.
“We worked incredibly hard to secure the £20m of government funding needed to help support the scheme, complemented by a further £2m investment from the
We’ve gone from a very small operation in
Blackburn to quite a substantial operation, one of the biggest multi academy trusts in England
the first of four planned buildings alongside a new ‘pocket park’ on part of the existing Brown Street car park.
The development is backed by £20m of government funding, alongside investment from Star Academies, Blackburn with Darwen Council and the Lancashire Combined County Authority.
David said: “The plan is to deliver by late 2028. The way it’s designed is that the ground floor will be a cutting edge professional development hub with a large lecture theatre, training and seminar rooms and professional development labs.
“Newly qualified teachers or trainee teachers would come in to learn their business and learn their practice in that environment. The upper
Lancashire Combined County Authority, helping us bring forward a development that will transform this landmark site.
“This investment sits alongside a number of our major projects already under way in Blackburn, including restoration work at the former St John’s Church to create a new business innovation hub, the multi-million-pound transformation of King George’s Hall and the creation of our new Cultural Quarter.”
Preparatory works are already progressing on site, with highway improvement works now complete and drainage diversion works expected to conclude by the end of the year.
Subject to final approvals, main construction works could begin as early as spring 2027.
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BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN
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