Leisure park bid scrapped as developers pull plug

The complex, hailed as a bonanza by Blackburn with Darwen councillors, would have created around 300 new jobs.

And the town hall also stood to make millions if the plan for a multiplex cinema, ten pin bowling alley and restaurants went ahead.

Wigan-based developers Kingspark were hoping to build £100 million complex on council owned land near the Whitebirk roundabout.

The scheme would have also included a smaller cinema for Accrington town centre.

But Kingspark decided to pull out of the project because of changes in Government planning policies and increasing costs.

Trinity Investments, the developers behind a second much larger complex in neighbouring Hyndburn, say they will press ahead with their plans despite the changes in Government policy. Trinity claim their £300 million project for a massive leisure and retail complex on nearby land could create over 2,000 jobs. And planners at Blackburn town hall are still confident they can sell the Whitebirk site to developers and bring a multiplex cinema to Blackburn.

Blackburn with Darwen's head of planning Peter Kuit said: "In planning terms we are quite happy with the situation. The aim was to attract industrial development to the area around Whitebirk and we have done that at Greenbank."

He added: "The research proves there is a lot of demand for multiplex cinemas and there is a space in the market for such a cinema in Blackburn.

"We have had a number of inquiries for a site in the town centre and we are quite hopeful about the situation.

"The council owned site near Whitebirk is very marketable and will become even more so when the motorway opens. We should have no problems finding a suitable buyer."

Apollo Leisure, the owners of cinemas in Blackburn and Burnley, have emerged as favourites to build a small screen complex ion Accrington town centre.

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