UNCOVERING of the River Blakewater is at the heart of a sweeping vision to change Blackburn town centre beyond recognition for decades to come.

Council bosses today unveiled their far-reaching ideas which would be funded by around £150million of regeneration money.

And they urged the borough's 140,000 residents: "Tell us what you think."

Dozens of projects are proposed, all of which Blackburn with Darwen Council says are achievable, but will only go ahead if people approve in a massive consultation exercise due to start in the New Year.

The river concept will be seen as the boldest idea and would transform the character of the town centre, opening up the Blakewater for the first time in more than 40 years.

Ideas revealed for the first time today include:

l Uncovering or replicating the River Blakewater so it runs through Blackburn Boulevard, Railway Road and into Ainsworth Street. If this is not achievable on engineering or cost grounds a river architectural 'feature' would take its place.

l Pulling down Blackburn Market, replacing it with a smaller one, freeing up space for a department store and possible new supermarket.

l Building a new bus station in Penny Street, and a smaller one at Blackburn College, and replacing the current station at the cathedral with shops and a public garden.

l Hundreds of new town centre flats developed close to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal; around Blackburn Cathedral and on the site of a block of nightclubs off Mincing Lane.

l Extending the redevelopment of Church Street to include Ainsworth Street and King William Street, effectively creating a loop around Blackburn Shopping Centre.

l New public squares, including ones close to Blackburn Museum, in King William Street, and where Church Street meets Railway Road.

l New offices running down both sides of Barbara Castle Way extension, providing new employment, which in turn makes moving into the town centre more attractive to companies.

l Attracting a 'budget' Travelodge or Ibis-style hotel to a site in Penny Street.

The projects are in addition to other schemes already in the pipeline, including the possible redevelopment of Blackburn Shopping Centre which its owner, The Mall Corporation, is currently reviewing.

Other schemes, such as the new student accommodation and multi-storey car park planned close to the Waves water centre, and the pedestrianisation of Northgate will not be affected.

The plans have been put together by a partnership established by Blackburn with Darwen two years ago. Developer Bovis Land Lease will invest heavily in the scheme, as will the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The council believes its £70million to put into the project will be matched by partners.

Two companies have been brought in to market the project, while regeneration experts Inpartnership, a firm with a proven track record in sorting out city centres, is also on board.

Coun Andy Kay, in charge of regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "These are exciting plans which have been a while in the making but are by no means definite.

"This is what we think we can achieve with the resources available but we want to know what people think. We will be talking to a wide range of people before we start to lay down final plans."

Graham Burgess, executive director for regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "What people should note in these plans is that they are the product of a wide range of expert opinions, so they can be achieved.

"They are exciting and we hope they will be the basis for regenerating the town centre for the 21st century."

Duncan Sutherland, who owns Inpartnership, said: "Blackburn has massive potential to really revolutionise itself. Everything is in place for it to happen, and these plans have taken about two years and a lot of research to develop.We've looked at taking the town centre forward while remembering the past."

Permission for the consultation will be sought from Blackburn with Darwen's executive board next week, while town centre leaders will get a chance to quiz the project developers next week as well.

Coun Colin Rigby, the authority's opposition Tory leader, said: "We have to make sure that what we develop is what people actually want, unlike the Pavilions."

Phil Ainsworth, who runs a jeweller's in Darwen Street and is a leading member of the town centre partnership, said: "I've yet to see these final plans but from what I've heard, they are exciting."