DARWEN market traders have been reassured that they will be consulted over the latest regeneration proposals for the town centre before any work is carried out.

The promise came during a public meeting which was arranged after traders claimed that the plans, put together by the Darwen Town Centre Partnership Board, to re-develop Darwen's bus station, rebuild the three-day market and alter the road system through the centre could ruin their businesses.

Town centre manager Tony Fitzgerald volunteered to answer questions on the town centre strategy plans.

He explained that the bus station and three-day market would remain close to where they currently were.

He also tried to reassure stallholders that the Partnership -- a 20-strong board made up of representatives from local businesses, residents and councillors -- had the best interests of Darwen at heart when coming up with the proposals and that work would not start on the market for at least five years.

As part of the latest proposals, the initial idea of moving the bus station to Wellington Fold would be scrapped, the three-day market would be moved nearer to the five-day market leaving an open space in front of them and traffic would be sent along a two-way Bury Street instead of along Market Street.

Trader Clive Wilson said: "I think the layout of the bus station and three-day market are in the right place now.

"At the moment the bus station is right next to the markets so the elderly and disabled people can get off the buses and only have to walk ten yards.

"These proposals include the bus station being moved further right and the market further left."

Mr Fitzgerald said: "There will still be the facility to drop people off the buses right outside the market.

"The bus station would be in more or less the same place but would be a linear lane with the bus stops lined up next to each other.

"We had an initial informal consultation last year and we took that feedback to the partnership board who presented their ideas. We now have a plan and a public consultation will begin on April 13.

"We will talk to the traders about the design of the new three-day market before work starts on it."

"Residents have been consulted on what they would like to see developed in the town at several events during the last two years as part of the creation of the Darwen Town Centre Strategy.

Feedback was collected and a draft strategy was compiled which included the possibility of demolishing the three-day market and the siting of the bus station at Wellington Fold.

There were then further informal consultations last year which were considered by the Darwen Town Centre Partnership Board and, with the advice of technical experts, the latest set of proposals were developed.

There will be a consultation event at Derwent Hall on April 13 followed by an exhibition at Darwen Library until April 20.

But Brenda Cronshaw, a three-day market trader, said she did not want to see Darwen developed in the same way as Blackburn.