Published Thursday 12 June 2025 at 12:44
Plans are set to be passed for three schemes in Blackburn with Darwen – part of major investment in the borough’s town centres and cultural venues.
The Council’s Planning and Highways Committee is set to meet next week to consider planning applications for King George’s Hall, Darwen Library and Theatre and the former Subway building, part of Blackburn’s £50m Cultural Quarter.
All three have been recommended for approval.
The plans include:
King George’s Hall
Full and Listed Building consent for internal renovations to the jewel in the crown of the new Cultural Quarter. Lancashire’s largest performance venue – now in its 104th year – is set to benefit from £9m of new investment with work already underway on improvements to the exterior of the building. These new plans include proposals for the likes of the bar areas and washroom facilities. Akbar’s – the Cultural Quarter’s flagship restaurant based in King George’s Hall – is open as usual with free customer parking available at 10 Duke Street.
Darwen Library and Theatre
Part of the £100m Darwen Town Deal, this planning application helps pave the way for a double-storey extension to better link the library and theatre, improvements to the beautiful Carnegie library itself, an impressive new entrance to the theatre and improved sustainability. A planning application is also being considered for neighbouring Darwen Market Hall and, just opposite, construction is underway on a new youth centre too – doubling the size of what was there previously.
3-7 Blakey Moor
Acquired as part of the Council’s regeneration plans for Blakey Moor, this building is set to be turned into a new restaurant as part of a strong cluster of new food and drink premises in preparation for the re-opening of King Georges Hall and the completion of the wider Cultural Quarter. Both 35 Northgate and Blakey Moor Terrace have undergone impressive transformations and there’s already commercial interest in this scheme.
Planning permission has also recently been granted to extend The Making Rooms – helping secure the creative hub’s place as the UK’s leading makerspace.
And other venues to benefit from new investment include:
- Tony’s Empress Ballroom – the historic dance hall with famous connections to the Northern Soul movement
- The Exchange – an iconic Grade II-listed building, best remembered as the old cinema, now home to groundbreaking art installations and the international adidas Spezial exhibition
- Imperial Mill – a grand former cotton mill, recently acquired by the council to help safeguard its future
Councillor Phil Riley, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council said:
We are investing huge sums of money in our town centres and our cultural venues.
Of course, Council budgets are extremely tight and so we’ve worked incredibly hard to secure the funding needed to help make these projects happen, including being awarded the full £25m available through the Darwen Town Deal and a further £20m from Government for cultural investment in and around Blackburn town centre.
There is a huge amount of confidence in Blackburn with Darwen Council nationally as a place that is ambitious and delivers, making every penny count.
These are exciting schemes – helping to transform venues that are incredibly important to our residents, to the future of our town centres and to our borough more widely.
Proudly, Blackburn with Darwen is already home to four Arts Council National Portfolio Organisations: Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, the National Festival of Making, the British Textile Biennial, and Culturapedia, as well as the Super Slow Way Creative People and Places programme.
Indeed, next month will see the National Festival of Making once again takeover Blackburn town centre with an impressive line-up, being described as ‘the most exciting yet.’
The packed programme offers everything from globally known artists to the likes of TV presenter George Clarke and more than 50 things to see and do over Saturday, July 5th, and Sunday, July 6th.
Plus, with the Council’s support, almost everything is free to enjoy.
And, in another huge coup for the borough, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery will host the largest-ever British Library loan outside of London as part of the most ambitious exhibition they have ever staged – ‘The Nature of Gothic.’
That’ll be followed by the much-anticipated return of the British Textile Biennial as well as Blackburn Cathedral hosting the breathtaking ‘Gaia’ by renowned artist Luke Jerram.
Councillor Riley added:
I bumped into a visitor at the Festival of Making last year, and they told me our borough is becoming the place for culture. And it really is.
With the high street and town centres changing and evolving, the shift towards regeneration through culture is a key part of the council’s ambitious £1bn growth plan and it’s fantastic to see just how much is in the mix.
Blackburn with Darwen is also renowned for partnership working, and some of the best examples can be seen in how we’re regenerating our towns through culture – a real team effort that is truly making a difference.
For a full rundown on investment in Blackburn with Darwen, please head over to: www.discoverbwd.com
And here’s the links you need to check out what’s on in our town centres: