Telegraph Business
£1.6m facelift hope for Accrington town centre shops
1:30pm Wednesday 25th January 2012
SHOP fronts in Accrington town centre’s conservation area could get a £1.6million facelift.
Buildings on Blackburn Road and Church Street were criticised by planning officers last year claiming that ‘ugly’ premises were overshadowing architectural gems – including the Victorian Arcade on Warner Street.
Hyndburn Council is pledging £100,000 to revamp the conservation area and has applied for £1.5million in heritage lottery funding for the remainder.
Plans involve facelifts for the area’s 19th and early 20th Century buildings and to reintroduce period features such as street lighting and furniture.
Coun Miles Parkinson said a key aspect of the plans would see shop fronts and signs replaced.
He said: “Times have been hard and businesses have not been able to keep up appearances, so quite a lot of the shops have a dated look.
“Not only is Blackburn Road the main route into town, but it features some of the most important buildings in the borough.
“The aim will be to make the buildings appear the way they did when built.
“If we are successful with this lottery bid, we can make the conservation area really special and link it, through Church Street, with plans to revamp areas at St James Church yard.”
Town centre regeneration board chairman, Coun Bernard Dawson said: “It is very early days, but it is a fantastic plan for the town. New street furniture and facelifts to the building will give businesses a boost.”
The rise of Blackburn Road began in 1848 when the railway reached Accrington.
By the 1850s, Abbey Street, Blackburn Road and Warner Street were major shopping areas, which led to the creation of the Victorian Arcade, the Market Hall and Accrington Town Hall.
The late-19th Century population explosion led to ‘notable’ Art Deco and buildings being created.