Eric Wright completes £30m Blackburn regeneration project

By Dean

23 Nov 2015

Eric Wright Construction has completed the first phase of a new 200,000 sq ft mixed-use commercial quarter in the heart of Blackburn.

One Cathedral Square (right)

The Blackburn Cathedral Quarter, developed by Maple Grove Developments, comprises a new six-storey office block, 60-bed Premier Inn hotel, restaurant and car park arranged around a new piazza-style public square and transport interchange.

A new Clergy Court also provides offices, library, apartments and townhouses, together with a public refectory for the Cathedral, with these new cloister buildings being the first to be constructed in the UK for more than 600 years.

The £30m town centre regeneration project was pioneered by Maple Grove Developments, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Blackburn Cathedral with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and took two years to complete.

Maple Grove Developments, part of the Eric Wright Group, presold the 32,000 sq ft office building, One Cathedral Square, to Legal & General Property for £9.1m in March 2015.

The Premier Inn hotel and 3,500 sq ft restaurant was sold to Knight Frank Investment Management on behalf of Lancashire County Pension Fund for £4.8m in September 2015.

One Cathedral Square also has two ground floor units to let, which along with the leisure unit, are being marketed by Brady’s of Manchester. Trevor Dawson and Knight Frank are letting agents for the office space.

Andrew Dewhurst, director at Maple Grove Developments, said: “Blackburn Cathedral Quarter represents seven years of hard work and has transformed a key gateway into Blackburn.

“The project is an excellent example of private sector businesses working in partnership with a local authority to deliver a significant urban regeneration scheme. It will create considerable advantages for the town including inward investment and increased financial benefits from an enhanced night time and visitor economy.

“It has also created a high-quality business hub in the heart of Blackburn that will deliver much-needed jobs, with One Cathedral Square being the first Grade A office building to be completed in the town centre for 20 years.”

Executive member for regeneration, Coun Phil Riley, said: “This is a real milestone for Cathedral Quarter and for the regeneration of our town centre.

“Over the last few years despite the tough economic climate we’ve stuck to our commitment to drive forward several major investment projects and I’m delighted to see these plans coming to fruition.

“Cathedral Quarter alongside the other schemes such as the new leisure centre is contributing to an almost complete transformation of our town centre so that we can be confident we have a vibrant and modern environment to welcome visitors, shoppers and potential new investors. It’s also going to provide a boost to local employment by creating jobs. ”  

Enjoyed this? Read more from Dean

Latest news

1

Transformation takes off for aerospace engineers after Made Smarter supports investment Work at Airframe Designs

Transformation takes off for aerospace engineers after Made Smarter supports investment

12 Jun 2025

2

Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses new Parlick cheese brand gets listing at M&S Food Parlick range by Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses

Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses new Parlick cheese brand gets listing at M&S Food

12 Jun 2025

3

University of Cumbria and BAE Systems launch flagship scholarship BAE Systems scholarship

University of Cumbria and BAE Systems launch flagship scholarship

11 Jun 2025

4

College restaurant honoured with top culinary award from prestigious chefs’ guild Karen Lilley Front Of House Lecturer David McKown David Lyon Scholars Manager And Blackburn College Principal Dr Fazal Dad

College restaurant honoured with top culinary award from prestigious chefs’ guild

10 Jun 2025

5

Cosmetic manufacturer lets new unit on Frontier Park, Burnley Badgequo have agreed to let the site on Frontier Park

Cosmetic manufacturer lets new unit on Frontier Park, Burnley

10 Jun 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200pxtrident 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

LBV123 July/August Launch Event
Lancashire Business View magazine launch
Networking
16 Jul 2025

LBV123 July/August Launch Event

Burnley College Industry Hub, Burnley, BB120AN

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

Midnight Oil: The Entrepreneur’s Journey: Scaling Strategies with Brad Waldron
BU-June-Event-BRAD-1.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
18 Jun 2025 - 18 Jun 2025

Midnight Oil: The Entrepreneur’s Journey: Scaling Strategies with Brad Waldron

Blackpool Football Club, Bloomfield Rd, Seasiders Way, Blackpool, FY1 6JJ

08:30 - 11:30

Chamber Business Lunch – June
Chamber Logo1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
20 Jun 2025 - 20 Jun 2025

Chamber Business Lunch – June

Lancaster House Hotel, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4GL

11:00 - 13:30

90 day Business Planning Workshop
LBV Event Header.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
20 Jun 2025 - 20 Jun 2025

90 day Business Planning Workshop

Bolton Arena, Arena Approach, Horwich, BL6 6LB

09:00 - 16:30

Moonlight and Memories Walk 2025
MMW.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Fundraisers
21 Jun 2025 - 21 Jun 2025

Moonlight and Memories Walk 2025

St Catherine's Hospice, Preston, PR5 5XU

18:00 - 23:00

Emergency First Aid at Work – June 2025
Chamber Logo1.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
23 Jun 2025 - 23 Jun 2025

Emergency First Aid at Work – June 2025

FGH Training 3rd Floor, Storey House, White Cross Business Park,, Lancaster, LA1 4XQ

09:00 - 16:00

Business Bike Club – July
Chamber Logo1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
01 Jul 2025 - 01 Jul 2025

Business Bike Club – July

Various, Lancaster, LA

08:00 - 09:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin