Work on a new car park in Blackburn is underway and will take around eight weeks to complete.

The work starts today, Monday, at the site on Blakewater Lodge, Whalley Range, and is designed to provide safer parking for those on the school-run, shoppers and visitors to the area.

The £300,000 capital-funded scheme will see the creation of an additional 54 standard car parking bays and four disabled bays.

While most of the project works, planned prior to the school restart in September, will take place off the highway, it is anticipated that there will be some minimal disruption to traffic on Whalley Range and to the residents on Swallow Drive.

However, once schools resume, parents and guardians collecting or dropping children off at St Michael with St John CE Primary School, along with residents and businesses, should see a positive difference in respect of safety and accessibility in and around the surrounding area.

Cllr Quesir Mahmood, executive member for growth and development at the council, said: “I am pleased that the council is making the investment to alleviate the parking issues encountered in this area and to make this area much safer by creating these extra parking facilities.

“The Blakewater Lodge Car Park project has been carefully planned by officers at the council in order to cause the least disruption, and I’m sure the increased safety, parking and better access to the area will benefit both visitors and businesses alike.”

As part of the construction programme, parking bays on Swallow Drive, opposite St Michael with St John CE Primary School, will be suspended during the construction works to facilitate worksite logistics.

The works will be managed and supervised by Blackburn with Darwen Council’s highways department which, in line with the council’s green credentials, have wherever possible, sourced sustainable materials, saving 50 tonnes of carbon from the construction phase.