Major proposals for an education campus in the heart of Blackburn have been given the green light as part of the town's £250 million regeneration masterplan.

Councillors reached a unanimous decision on the five-storey Training 2000 and University of Central Lancashire project, which also provides a ground floor café for public use.

The successful application – submitted by Maple Grove Blackburn as a joint venture with Blackburn with Darwen Council – also included planning permission for a second building which has been earmarked for education and research purposes.

Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, Councillor Phil Riley, said: “It’s terrific news this planning application has been given the green light.

“It really is a win-win for the borough – this development will help transform that whole area of the town, attracting thousands of learners every year and helping to support the businesses there.

“And learners will also benefit from the very best, state-of-the-art facilities too - it doesn’t get better than that.

“We’re also really pleased that the new Government has re-confirmed the £20m of funding that was pledged for the project – in the same week that the Lancashire Devolution Deal has also been passed.

“We now look forward to advancing our plans with UCLAN to re-locate and expand their Training 2000 offer here - as we’ve said before, what an opportunity this is.”

An urban park would also be created in the shadow of the developments, on land bounded by Brown Street, Ainsworth Street and Penny Street, which housed the former Blackburn Market.

Concerns about parking have been acknowledged, with 172 parking spaces to be lost at the Brown Street car park.

However, new developments are hoping to be developed on the former site of The Fleece Inn.

Planning committee member, Conservative Cllr Paul Marrow, said: “The area has been a blight on the townscape for a good number of years.

“It will bring a new lease of life to an area of Blackburn town centre that the council has been looking hard to improve for quite a while.

“It will bring investment, jobs and new skills to the people training there and it is good for the town centre and the town centre economy and it is good for Blackburn.”

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Blackburn with Darwen Council has already secured £20m of government funding towards the scheme, which has been re-confirmed by the new Labour administration.

The new learning centre is part of the Council’s £1 billion vision for the future to make a more prosperous borough where no one is left behind.

As part of the Blackburn Growth Axis it aims to support 100,000 jobs across the borough – positioning it as an important regional economic centre.

Cllr Dave Smith said: "It's a good design, lots of green space and really good for the town.

"It is important that it is training 2000 meaning there will be students in the town centre, teachers, technicians in the town centre spending their money."

Linked to the neighbouring Making Rooms and Blackburn College’s existing cyber capabilities, the development is part of the drive to unlock opportunities at the Salmesbury innovation zone as well as opportunities the National Cyber HQ could bring.

The vision is to grow the supply chain in the digital and cyber sector in Blackburn with Darwen.

Nick Hague, project director for Maple Grove Developments, added: “We've been working in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Council for a number of years and are delighted to be supporting them in bringing forward this hugely ambitious and exciting project.

“The two new buildings, along with the fantastic public realm and landscaping, will transform this key gateway site into a world-class education and commercial quarter, supporting the wider regeneration plans for the town centre.

“The buildings will provide flexibility to the occupants, allowing them to adapt over time, responding to the ever-changing business and academic world we live in.

“These are indeed exciting times in Blackburn.”

The Council will now appoint a design team to progress detailed designs for the development with advanced highway and enabling works planned to commence early 2025 with the main construction works expected to follow later next year with a view to the building opening in 2027.