Blackburn with Darwen Council has published a new report outlining how £90m of investment could be spent transforming Darwen over the next five years.
The £90m includes £25m Town Deal funding from Government and a further £65m committed by the council and private investors.
As part of the proposals, the town centre would benefit from £13m – including money for the Market Hall and Library Theatre.
And, £47m would be committed to creating and safeguarding jobs in the town with a first-of-its-kind in the UK Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) Accelerator facility, support for the relocation of Perspex and new employment growth sites.
Based on feedback from residents, almost £4m has also be included to improve and create new links and pathways from the town centre, up through the town’s parks and across the moors.
The proposals, to be considered by the Council’s Executive Board – Blackburn with Darwen’s most senior councillors – includes:
- £13.4m for the town centre – including refurbishing and repurposing the Market Hall and Library Theatre
- £14.2m for town centre living – including the completion of the Belgrave Heights site and new residential opportunities
- £8.4m for new employment growth sites to help pave the way for new jobs
- £5.1m for a project to create a brand new Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) Accelerator at Chapels in Darwen – the first-of-its-kind in the UK
- £3.5m to support the £30m committed by Perspex to relocate into new modern, purpose-built facilities – safeguarding skilled jobs in the town
- £4.6m for a new East Lancs Sports Village – boasting world-class sporting and community facilities at AFC Darwen, Junction4 Skatepark and Darwen Cricket Club
- £5.5m for ultrafast broadband – supporting a vision for the town as a place where flexible working is embraced and a key part of the economy
There’s also money set aside for improving accessibility and the appearance of the gateways to Darwen.
You can see a full breakdown of the figures here – starting on page 109.
Councillor Phil Riley, Executive Member for Growth and Development at Blackburn with Darwen Council and Deputy Chair of the Darwen Town Deal Board, said: “This is more investment in Darwen than we’ve seen in our lifetimes.
“The Town Deal Funding, which the board worked so hard to secure, is acting as a catalyst for significant investment in the town, including £13.8m which we’ve committed as a council.
“There’s no doubt that the £90m is a life-changing sum of money and residents and businesses are going to see real change – to the town and in the opportunities for growth and jobs.
“It really does feel like the start of something special for Darwen and its future and we’re looking forward to working really hard as a board and council to make sure we make the most of the opportunities.”
The Town Deal Board, chaired by Wayne Wild, successfully bid for the full £25m available through the Government’s Towns Fund.
The money set out a strict criteria for how it could be with an emphasis on creating/securing jobs, viable and attractive town centres, new business growth opportunities and improved connectivity for residents and businesses.
All of the schemes have the required ‘match funding’ – additional investment from the council, businesses and private investors.
Council officers are now supporting the board to develop strong business cases for each of the proposals to unlock the Government funding with hopes that the first of the work can start towards the end of 2022.
The report to the Executive Board will be considered at the meeting on Thursday, March 10th. You can read the full report by clicking here.
