BLACKBURN’S new £13.5million sports and swimming complex will ‘regenerate the area and boost the night-time economy’, say councillors.

An application for planning permission has been submitted to the council, bringing the realisation of the ambitious plans a step closer.

The leisure centre will replace the existing sports department building at Blackburn College and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Waves facility.

Leader of the council Coun Kate Hollern said: “It will lift the whole area. It will help regenerate the area and bring people back into it.”

She went on: “There will be a big space where the old building is and businesses will be able to move there. It will make the area more inviting in the evening.” The new complex, partly-based on the successful Darwen leisure centre and swimming pool, will be more efficient than the former Waves building, deemed too old and costly to run.

It will include a six-lane pool, learner pool, two sports halls, gym, aerobics studio, wet and dry changing facilities, offices, plus a new coach drop-off point directly off Feilden Street and new pedestrian access.

It will be built on the edge of the college campus next to Feilden Street multi-storey car park. The 26-year-old council-owned Waves complex will be demolished and the site sold off for development.

Coun Dave Harling, executive member for regeneration said it will be a good focal point in the town centre, adding: “The activities at King George’s Hall nearby and the car park in between make it a good place to be.

“I think the night-time economy will be boosted but there’s quite a bit of work to do to get it back up and running because it used to be very strong.”

A spokesman for the college said: “The new leisure centre will benefit not only our students but everybody in East Lancashire.

“We will have the best facilities for our sports students to enable them to excel, whilst outside of college hours, the sports halls, six-lane pool – with two flumes for children to enjoy – and also the large, well-equipped, fitness gym, can all be used by the whole community.”

While the new centre is being built students can use facilities at Blackburn Youth Zone.