THE answers to Blackburn's alleged late night booze culture have been widely debated. In the final part of our week-long insight into town centre drinking, Chief Reporter DAVE HIGGERSON spoke to key police and council officers to find out what plans they have to try to combat the problem and discovers an innovativem scheme designed to keep drinkers on their toes. . .

TO council officers, the key to reclaiming Blackburn town centre's streets at night is getting people to live there.

The logic follows that if people are actually living in a town or city centre, a sense of community grows that in turn is less prepared to tolerate the sort of anti-social behaviour being witnessed on Blackburn's streets every weekend.

As the Lancashire Evening Telegraph revealed yesterday, it is hard not to avoid people indulging in the sort of vile past times which would put others off ever coming back.

But would these same drinkers, who were probably acutely embarrassed by their behaviour when sober the next morning, behave in the same way if Blackburn town centre was also considered residential?

Graham Burgess, executive director of regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, thinks not.

He said: "What we are trying to achieve in Blackburn town centre is somewhere which doesn't just close down at 6pm, re-open some evenings for a night out and then close again.

"We want people living in the town centre because that in turn encourages new business, such as more restaurants, shops and so on."

So to that end, nightclub boss Margo Grimshaw's announcement that she wants to bulldoze several of her venues and build apartments there is a welcome one.

Mr Burgess said: "We have spoken with Margo and are waiting to see how detailed the plans are.

"There are several schemes in the pipeline at the moment, some of which are very exciting."

Encouraging people back into the centre to live has already worked in other parts of the country.

In Newcastle, for example, the creation of city centre living - initially above shops and then in form of developments on small patches of land - in the 1980s and 1990s led to a boom in restaurants and bars.

Newcastle is also home to the famous Bigg Market, a small segment of the city centre which attracts people from across the UK for rip-roaring nights out.

But despite the Bigg Market's riotous reputation, older people still don't seem deterred from going into the city at night. Why?

According to the city's council chiefs, they have worked hard to bring in a variety of entertainment. For example, a brand new cinema complex was opened in the heart of its drinking circuit.

Does it put the punters off? They argue not - but other attractions, such as the local theatres and restaurants, are more removed from the Bigg Market, which is the stuff of legends.

So what can Blackburn learn? Sayyed Osman, assistant director of regeneration at the council, said: "We do look at towns and cities everywhere to see if there is anything we can adopt or improve upon for Blackburn."

And even if unintentionally, Blackburn does appear to be following the Newcastle route.

Housing is on the way, as is the new cinema which, Mr Burgess hopes, will expand the size of the town centre and make it possible for people to come into the town at night without coming across the 6,000 drinkers its attracts.

Mr Burgess said: "We are looking to broaden Blackburn's appeal, with an emphasis on people feeling safe.

"We are currently in the process of letting The Pavilions in Church Street, which should appeal to different people.

"We work hard at King George's Hall to provide new entertainment and the new cinema complex in Audley not only expands the size of the town centre but also provides new things such as a bowling alley."

There are hopes for a new town centre hotel that would have a clientele keen to use restaurants and other facilities in the town.

"As new developments come along, we make sure they are suitable for Blackburn. We make sure that safety is included in design, which may not have been considered in the past. The new-look Lord Square won't have the same dark passages the current one does."

And there are signs that Blackburn is appealing to new investors in the entertainment sector.

John Hilton, director of Hilton Leisure, has spent £500,000 acquiring Tiggi's, in King William Street, and Gibees, in Northgate.

He said: "There is a market for high-quality venues. It is what we do and we are marketing the two Blackburn venues heavily to get more people in.

"I don't think King William Street is any worse than King Street in Wigan. If people go to the right venues, then they will be fine.

"We like to think we're one of those venues. Blackburn is a town with a lot of potential. I'm a businessman with no loyalty to the town, so I wouldn't be investing if I didn't think there were possibilities on the horizon."

Ronnie Brown has run North Bar, in Town Hall Street, for six years. He added: "We have never had the police in, don't use doormen, but have a music policy that covers everything from punk to funk.

"There is diversity here already."