SPORTS and leisure facilities at Blackburn Ice Arena are set to be expanded as bosses strive to take advantage of a leisure and retail revolution in the town.

The arena has been a regional centre for ice skating and ice hockey for the past 11 years, but could now offer other sporting activities, such as a gym or fitness centre.

An extensive retail and leisure development is already underway next to the arena as part of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's Regeneration scheme.

Apart from well-known high street shopping outlets, options being considered by Peel Developments, owners of the arena, include a ten-pin bowling facility, multiplex cinema, bingo and possibly an indoor artificial surface arena. The first part of the £6.5m scheme will see a Matalan and Staples stores built with a second phase including a 10 or 12 screen cinema, restaurants and pub.

The development is a key part of the council's regeneration of Blackburn town centre and the developers say they are keen to make use of the extra visitors they hope will be generated by the project and also by the town's new orbital traffic route.

Arena manager Des Finlay said: "The changes taking place around here will undoubtedly lead to more and more people travelling into the centre of Blackburn on a regular basis where we find ourselves right in the centre of it all.

"As we are located in the heart of a new retail and leisure zone, and as the provision of the new road system will increase the traffic directed past our front doors, we have to make the arena a focal point, raise awareness and profile and implement our own development plans.

"While ice-skating and ice hockey will continue, the overall usage of the building will change through radical in-house developments.

"We are looking at another floor, upstairs, with scope for a gym or fitness centre, which will not only enhance exercise provision for our skaters and hockey players, but also with public access.

"We already draw customers from a very wide area, well beyond Blackburn's boundaries, but these plans, when realised, should encourage even more people to visit.

"Blackburn Borough Council and the Regeneration Programme are clearly determined to increase the attractiveness and the accessibility of the town and we are very keen to play our part by making the arena a leading sports and leisure facility."

The changes to the arena are likely to be phased in over the next few months.