A REGENERATION chief today predicted the rejuvenated Pavilions would lead to the redevelopment of Blackburn's run down Lord Square.

Blackburn with Darwen's planning and highways committee last night approved plans to restore the three Waterloo Pavilions in Church Street.

Permission was also granted for two glass structures to be built between the existing pavilions to effectively create one long building.

It is expected the finished buildings will be rented out to up to three high quality shopping or leisure firms.

Planning permission was granted despite opposition from the Dean of Blackburn Cathedral, the Very Rev Christopher Armstrong, who claimed the Church felt left out of discussions since the council took over the project late last year.

Blackburn Cathedral had originally drawn up plans for the revamped Pavilions and was offered them for a cut-price figure if they could get enough money to revamp them within 12 months.

But by last summer, the cathedral had not managed to get the money in place, so the council, which owns the Pavilions, took over the project again. Since then, it has secured a £1million grant from the North West Development Agency to fund the refurbishments.

Coun Kay said: "I believe this project is the best way forward and I am disappointed by the comments coming the cathedral.

"I am confident we'll have high quality users in the building and that will trigger work elsewhere on Church Street.

"It will look very good. Along with the completed Church Street, it will make it obvious to whoever owns Lord Square that they will have to do some serious work in there."

It is a strategy which has worked before. When Blackburn with Darwen Council won £30million-plus of City Challenge Government cash in the 1990s, they spent a chunk on revamping King William Street. This prompted Standard Life to invest millions in Blackburn Shopping Centre in 1995, although they stopped short of working on Lord Square.

Coun Ashley Whalley, referring to comments made by Tory leader Colin Rigby last week that the Pavilions project was over ambitious because Blackburn was 'just a grotty mill town,' said: "I am very pleased to see this project getting somewhere.

"We have done a lot of hard work to transform Church Street and I must say I was very disappointed to see the comments from the leader of the Conservative Party."

Coun Paul Browne, leader of the Lib Dems, said: "It should be interesting to see what effect the building work has on Church Street or Blackburn Cathedral's grounds. It needs to be done sensitively or damage could be caused to either."

Planning permission was granted by the committee, but because they are listed buildings, it will have to be rubberstamped by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.