Blackburn with Darwen Council's ruling executive board has rubber stamped spending £1.6million on taking full ownership of the Thwaites brewery site.

On Thursday it approved buying out its partner Maple Grove Developments' share of the joint venture which owns the cleared land.

The move follows Morrisons decision to pull out of a proposed new superstore on the Penny Street site in March.

The retail complex was a crucial part of the council's original £250million Blackburn Town Centre masterplan of which the redevelopment of Thwaites former Star Brewery land was a keystone.

The firm left the site in 2018 when it moved to its new complex at Sykes Holt in the Ribble Valley.

The buildings were demolished by 2020.

The authority invested millions of pounds in the joint venture with Maple Grove, part of the Eric Wright Group, to purchase the seven acre site in 2021.

Now the council has taken full ownership and control of the joint venture and therefore the site, paving the way for a new masterplan to be prepared it and the surrounding area,

Proposing the move council leader Cllr Phil Riley said after the Morrisons decision, Maple Grove had indicated it did not wish to take part in the preparation of the new town centre masterplan.

He said: "There is no acrimony between us."

The deal is due to be completed by the end of the year.