THE ambitious action plan unveiled this week for Blackburn will change the shape of the town centre if it goes ahead.

Today the Lancashire Evening Telegraph takes a closer look at the impact of the £40 million scheme on the town centre. Blackburn with Darwen Council will know by the end of the year whether the bid for more than £4 million of European cash has been accepted.

And if the project does go ahead, changes will start to take place over the next two to three years.

It his hoped the Euro cash will lead to £20 million in public money and £15 million worth of private investment flooding into the town. The aim is to build on the success of earlier improvement schemes funded by Government projects like City Challenge and the Single Regeneration Budget.

The people behind the latest project have looked at a series of factors which affect the town centre.

They include transport and the town's traffic management system, retail and business and leisure and entertainment.

Greater choice for leisure

LEISURE plays a major part in the £40 million package of improvements planned for Blackburn.

Recent moves to make the town a safe and attractive place to visit would be given a boost by a series of high-profile projects.

The two biggest schemes would be the redevelopment of Blackburn's popular museum and a multiplex cinema close to the bus and railway station.

Town hall bosses are keen to make Blackburn museum more customer-friendly and open more of it out to the public.

A bid to the National Lottery is still in the early stages but £3-£4 million worth of improvements are planned for the building. The aim is to make exhibitions more interactive and the early signs are that the Lottery is interested in the project.

Tangled planning issues and bureaucracy have cast a shadow over plans for retail and leisure parks on the outskirts of the borough.

Developers and cinema operators are keen to move into the borough and customer research has shown there is a high demand for more cinema

Developers seem to be losing interest in sites at Greenbank, Whitebirk and Earcroft and the focus has shifted to the town centre.

Council bosses have revealed major cinema operators have inquired about the derelict land behind the railway station.

The plan would be to demolish the former Atlas works and replace it with a 14 screen cinema.

The site would also include parking spaces for 400 cars and a family style restaurant.

Planners hope banning traffic from Darwen Street and investment in the area will bring the more businesses to the south side of the town.

They hope this will encourage more restaurants, cafes and bars to open in run-down Darwen Street.

Problem buildings would be targeted by the council and incentives offered to companies looking at properties on Darwen Street.

A recent relaxation of licensing laws is also tempting the leisure industry into the town.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.