Excitement builds as new car park takes shape in Blackburn

Work began on the £300,000 car park off Victoria Street in the Whalley Range district earlier in the summer.

The Blakewater Lodge Car Park is situated off Swallow Drive and is set to bring an additional 54 standard car parking bays and four disabled bays.

Lighting has gone up and the area had been cordoned off with fencing and a barrier.

Presently, shoppers struggle to park around Victoria Street and Randal Street during busy periods.

It has led to a lot of disgruntled residents and businesses complaining over the lack of spaces for their own cars.

Cars parked dangerously or anti-socially increase congestion and delays and also make navigating the busy street - both in a vehicle or on foot - riskier.

More importantly, the new car park will cater for out-of-town visitors who frequent the area on a regular basis.

The stretch of road attracts thousands of people keen to shop at the wide range of Asian fashion retailers as well as the distinctive sweet shops and takeaways.

One local resident, Harun Khan, said the car park was the ‘best thing to happen’ to the area for a long time.

He said: “I know it is only a car park but a lot of people are talking about it a lot. It is a big thing.

“We have had to put up with lot of bad parking and hopefully drivers will head here now. It is about time the council used their common sense. It will make them a lot of money.

“I am not sure about the cost for building it. You could build five houses in Dubai for that!”

Demolition of the care home, which previously stood on the site, was approved in 2018 and plans submitted in 2020 for a new car park.

In 2017, an application to turn the home into an Asian market was refused, paving the way for the car park.

The council revealed in July that 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 major difference in respect of ‘safety and accessibility’, once the car park opens.

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

The work is being managed and supervised by Blackburn with Darwen Council’s highways department and wherever possible, sourced sustainable materials have been used, saving 50 tonnes of carbon from the construction phase.