A BLUEPRINT is being drawn up to ensure that Darwen's shopping centre survives the 21st century and becomes a thriving market town again.

Top priorities are attracting a wider range of shops, improving the shopping environment and ensuring the town's heritage isn't lost in future developments.

Leaders in the town are being brought together help draw up a detailed vision for the future and work out how they are going to access the millions of pounds needed to do it.

An initial study will be presented to councillors at Blackburn with Darwen Council tonight.

Findings include:

Reasonable satisfaction among shoppers but concerns about the quality of shops and the overall environment

A need to work with traders to make sure they are responding to shifting shopping patterns

A need to tackle the high number of empty shops

A need for more food and bulky goods, eg electrical stores

A need to preserve historic buildings and ensure they are better used

A need to reduce the domination of Traffic in the town centre and make it safer for pedestrians.

Coun Andy Kay, executive member for regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "Darwen has the scope to be very successful and already has a very loyal customer base.

"We want to improve what we already have but at the same time make sure it is sustainable. It has toe something which is different to what is on offer in other towns."

In the past, ideas have been mooted which involve capitalising on the town's mix of world cuisine restaurants.

"That, along with the town's easy access to the West Pennine Moors, is expected to be promoted by the council over the coming year to attract more tourists.

Coun Dave Fenton, a Conservative councillor representing the Earcroft ward, said: "We are all very supportive of the strategy. I think the main problem is the A666 which cuts right through Darwen.

"Traffic comes both ways and it's a real problem. We need to keep the character whilst re-vamping the centre.

"I don't think we have the room to bring in major businesses and Darwen has always been a local shopping place.

"There are plenty of jewels in Darwen's crown, such as the parks and the tower and we need to make sure we don't go down Blackburn's route and get rid of everything that makes Darwen what it is."

John Brown, chairman of the Darwen Town Centre Association, said: "Anything that can strengthen our hand to improve the town centre is a very good thing. The town's strength is that it is a local market town so we need to keep local people shopping locally."

Julie Smith, store manager of Sainsbury's, Redearth Road, said: "Anything that's good for Darwen is good for the people who live in the town and we see the strategy as a very important step towards improving things."