CONGRATULATIONS are due to all those involved in the restoration and redevelopment of Fleming Square (right) in Blackburn town centre.

This should be seen as a launch pad for further development and remarketing of the town centre. The improvements on Church Street are finally beginning to take shape and the potential for the future is clear to see.

If the development of Lord Square is well thought out, there is real potential to both expand the shopping area and make the town more inviting to visitors.

I would also like to suggest two possibilities that I feel should be given strong consideration as the town centre develops.

The first of these is that the square opposite Blackburn Museum could be renovated in a similar way to Fleming Square. At present it is drab and neglected but still popular during the summer, with people sitting on the benches while eating their lunches.

If this area were levelled, perhaps cobbled and renamed Museum Square, it would become a really popular location for people to meet up and perhaps for events and activities to take place.

My second suggestion is that King William Street should be renamed King William Square. The word 'street' was only appropriate for the site when it was an open road and went through to the top end of Church Street before the current shopping precinct was built.

In fact, much of the space we currently call King William Street formed part of the old market square in front of the market hall.

There is no doubt that during the day King William 'Square' is the most popular outdoor gathering place for people visiting Blackburn town centre or working in local shops and offices. It is, in all but name, the town square.

I believe that if we were to develop 'Museum Square' and 'King William Square,' this would provide the town with an excellent way of marketing itself to the wider community as well as making it more appealing to those who use the centre already.

DAMIAN TALBOT, Duke of Sussex Street, Blackburn.