A meeting took place yesterday between Blackburn & Darwen Council staff and traders from Darwen Market to share updates on the Darwen Town Deal plans.
The Town Deal, with added support from the Council and private investors, will help unlock £100m of new funding for major schemes right across Darwen.
This includes £26m of ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ investment for our town centre. The funding will be used to upgrade heritage buildings, including the Market Hall and Darwen Library Theatre. These are huge schemes which take a lot of planning.
At the meeting, the Council updated traders to let them know that they’re looking to start the works next summer. This gives time for the Council to work closely with traders and look at the best options for accommodating them while the extensive refurbishment is underway.
Keeping traders in the town centre during this time and supporting them is the Council’s priority. It will also ensure that the popular Darwen Live event – the largest free live music event in the country – can go ahead as normal in May 2024.
Between now and the end of the year, the Council will be looking to appoint a developer to undertake the construction work. This is a rigorous and thorough process. Once they are in place, the Council will work closely with them on the proposals and with the market traders as well as surrounding businesses to firm up the plans, keeping you updated along the way.
With the Town Deal Board, the Council’s priority is to create a thriving town centre, one which supports existing businesses, including market traders, and offers opportunities for the future. More details will be shared by the Council when they have them. You can read more about the £100m vision for the Town Deal by clicking this link.
In the meantime, please do continue to support town centre businesses, including our market.
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