First look at new Blackburn town centre apartments plan

1:33pm Wednesday 21st May 2008

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By Tom Moseley »

PLANS have been unveiled for a five-storey block of apartments with a snooker club on the ground floor in Blackburn town centre.

Developers want to demolish the building containing Riley's snooker club in Mincing Lane and rebuild it, creating 28 apartments and an underground car park.

An artist's impression of the new building, which will have a corner made of glass on the junction with Mill Lane, has been produced, and a planning application lodged with Blackburn with Darwen council.

If it gets the go-ahead the snooker hall would be moved to a temporary location until the new version is built.

The building, a former picture house and roller skating rink, used to be known as New Central Hall. It has been leased by Riley's since 2000.

It is owned by Norley Developments, the firm that has lodged the planning application.

Martin Wilson, of Preston-based project designers MCK Partnership, said the project would contribute to the regeneration taking place in Blackburn town centre.

He said: "It's all about upgrading the town centre.

"The building as it is doesn't offer any life to the street, and snooker clubs historically are dark and dingy places.

"This will be a fairly striking building and the snooker club will be more like a cafe or bar - you will be able to see inside from the street."

Fears have been raised about the housing market because of the current financial downturn. And councillors recently claimed too many flats were being built in Blackburn, But Mr Wilson added: "They won't be luxury flats.

"We're not pricing people out of the market.

"When we first started this project flats were flavour of the month.

"This development will take some time and who knows what the market will be like then.

"Big towns will always need apartments."

A final decision on the application will be taken by the council's planning committee in the next few months.