AN EAST Lancashire surveyor has begun drawing up plans to save at least the memory of a piece of Blackburn history.

A warehouse behind the town's railway station was used as a goods depot for decades after being built in 1858.

But it is now no more than a pile of rubble after it was demolished to make way for a new entertainment complex in Lower Audley Street.

Property and quantity surveyor, Robert Gregson, originally from Blackburn, but now living in Lancaster, plans to re-construct the building on his computer for his own records, and as part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Society archives.

Mr Gregson, 51, hopes to present the finished drawings as they would have appeared in the architect's office 150 years ago, after he was made aware the originals no longer exist.

He said: "I had to do something, Blackburn has lost yet another architectural landmark.

"In light of all the road congestion problems politicians have promised to take a certain percentage of heavy freight off the roads and put it back on the railway.

"But how can we do this when all the former freight depots are demolished and land sold off for development?"

The building was also used as a storage unit for a road haulage company before being re-opened as a go-kart track in the 1990's.

Mr Gregson said: "Dozens of wagons were shunted in and out, loading and unloading.

"I wanted to draw up these plans to ensure it is not forgotten."

Work on the £17 million leisure park is planned for the end of September.

The new 100,000 sq ft entertainment complex is due to open early in 2005 with a multiplex cinema, fitness centre, bowling alley, swimming pool and restaurants.

Development Manager James Whittaker of Peel Holdings said the railway had benefited from the project.