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

Bellway to build 183 high quality new homes Royal Bowland Park street scene NEW.jpg.jpg

Bellway to build 183 high quality new homes

29 Oct 2025

2

University of Lancashire recognised for entrepreneurship and supporting business growth - Representatives from the University's Business School, local SMEs and the IOEE

University of Lancashire recognised for entrepreneurship and supporting business growth

29 Oct 2025

3

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire BAE Typhoon ECRS Mk2 Radar

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire

28 Oct 2025

4

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold The Mill at Conder Green

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold

28 Oct 2025

5

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm PM+M promotions

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm

27 Oct 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
November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event
Holiday Inn Hotel
Networking
28 Oct 2025 - 18 Nov 2025

November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event

Holiday Inn, Blackpool

16:46 - 16:45

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

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

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

09:30 - 15:30

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
06 Nov 2025 - 06 Nov 2025

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November

Porsche Centre South Lakes, Carnforth, LA6 1FW

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Roundtables
10 Nov 2025 - 10 Nov 2025

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner

Lancaster Castle, Lancaster, LA1 1YN

14:00 - 16:00

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity
1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human
2.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Nov 2025 - 13 Nov 2025

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

The AI Lab: E-commerce
Ai Lab ecommerce (1).png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
14 Nov 2025 - 14 Nov 2025

The AI Lab: E-commerce

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:30

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 LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin