Blackburn Cathedral Quarter

Blackburn Cathedral Quarter is a 17 hectare development project that is a redevelopment venture by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. Maple Grove developers worked with Eric Wright construction, who are the main contractor, and Billington Structures on this mixed-use scheme.

The huge redevelopment will create a vibrant quarter around the cathedral in Blackburn town centre and it will contribute towards economic regeneration in the area. The Blackburn Cathedral Quarter will include a new six-storey BREEAM Excellent rated office building, a Premier Inn hotel and car park, as well as restaurants and coffee shops, arranged around a public square and a new bus interchange.

Billington Structures were appointed as the steelwork contractor to supply and install structural steel for the 60 bedroom hotel and the new office building which will have 35,000 square feet of space.

The hotel and office building are hoping to raise the standard of the quality of accommodation within the town centre with a modern, urban design. The two new structures consisted of composite metal deck floors with precast concrete staircases. Plans have already been submitted and approved by the local planning authority for a second office building.

The goal of the Blackburn Cathedral Quarter is to create new public spaces that make better use of the area around the cathedral and to introduce new leisure and tourism to Blackburn town centre. By introducing a new hotel, parking and leisure facilities it will enhance the visitor experience as well as the night time economy in the town.

A number of public spaces have been created in the town which are for pedestrians only, creating an improved setting for the cathedral and surrounding buildings. The new piazza style square is designed to link the cathedral back to the rest of the town but also make it a usable space. It contains pop-up electricity and water points to facilitate outdoor events such as Christmas fairs, concerts and the Cathedral Flower Festival.