A £1MILLION blueprint to turn one of Blackburn town centre's most rundown streets into a thriving shopping and leisure area has been unveiled.

Massive environmental improvements are planned for King Street in the spring to make the area more attractive and lever in millions of pounds of private sector investment.

The one-way street, which currently carries Traffic into Blackburn town centre, will be reduced to one lane and on-street parking will be introduced.

Highways officers at Blackburn with Darwen Council believe the moves will make the street more welcoming to pedestrians, making it more attractive to new businesses.

Massive environmental works are planned, including new natural stone pavements, trees, shrubberies bounded by stone plinths and railings.

The council also plans to help support private investors looking to bring King Street's buildings back to life.

Around £500,000 has already been secured in Government and European grants and an application has also been

made to the North West Development Agency for £485,000 towards the project.

A key part of the town's Heritage Corridor runs from St Anne's Church, just off King Street, through Fleming Square and on to Church Street.

Many of the buildings are derelict, and cash has already been provided to help meet the cost of restoring St Anne's.

One of the biggest plans includes the multi-million pound project to restore 33 King Street, which is owned by the East Lancashire Deaf Society and has been renamed Kings Court.

Dating back to 1804, the building has been disused for much of this century but under the ELDS plans being drawn up with the private sector and the council, it will provide business opportunities, facilities and employment for deaf people.

The funding to help businesses will come from within the Townscape Heritage Initiative project, which gives cash to help private regeneration of buildings.

Steve Hoyle, the council's assistant director of economic regeneration, said: "The proposed scheme will cost around £1million, and an application has been made to the North West Development Agency for £485,000 towards the project."

Traffic will be reduced by diverting all bus routes which currently use King Street on to Montague Street, Feilden Street and Cardwell Place -- which will be made a bus-only street and have its current one way flow reversed -- before rejoining Higher Church Street.

It also believed the completion of the Barbara Castle Way extension will lead to a reduction in traffic in King Street.

Ian Richardson, associate director at Capita, which provides the council's highways service, said: "It should mean that the only traffic using King Street is going into the town centre. It will make it a much more pleasant environment."

Ronnie O'Keeffe, president of Blackburn's Chamber of Trade, said: "We are fully behind the cosmetic aspect and the regeneration, but I am concerned that the change to roads will lead to more gridlocks."

King Street is listed in the council's town centre update as a priority area along with Lord Square and the Pavilions.