A PROJECT which will rid Blackburn town centre of a rundown block of shops to make way for a major clothes store is a step closer to reality.

A planning application has been submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council on behalf of the new clothes store, whose details are still being kept secret.

The application involves demolishing a block of shops on Salford -- the road which links Church Street to the new orbital route -- with a new two storey, purpose-built building for the rapidly-expanding clothes firm.

The land is currently owned by Thwaites and Blackburn with Darwen Council. Both have agreed to sell the land on if it results in a new building on the land, which is described by council officials as 'an important gateway to the town centre.'

The new shop will also cover part of a car park and waste land bounded by Salford, Vicar Street and Starkie Street.

Earlier this year, when details of the project were announced, traders welcomed the new project because it would involve getting rid of the block of shops, all bar one of which are closed, boarded up and covered in flyposters.

It is one of a number of projects the council hopes will push on the regeneration of the town.

A planning application has already been submitted for Nova Scotia Mill to be used as a DIY superstore and garden centre.

A company has also been lined up for Prospect Mill, although a planning application has yet to be submitted and its identity has not been revealed in public.

It would use Prospect Mill for employment purposes and should lead to more people working in the town centre, boosting the numbers shopping in Blackburn.