Fire-gutted church restoration to start in summer

A long-delayed £8.85m project to rebuild an historic town-centre church which was destroyed by fire nearly seven years ago is set to begin this summer.

By the time the work is completed in 2028, St John's Church in Blackburn will have been repurposed as a digital business and creative and innovation hub.

The Grade II-listed building, on the corner of Ainsworth Street and Richmond Terrace, has stood empty since it was gutted in the huge April 2019 blaze.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's ruling executive is set to give the go-ahead on Thursday to rebuild it and appoint Nelson-based Barnfield Construction Ltd as the main contractor.

Councillor Derek Hardman, who represents Livesey with Pleasington ward on Blackburn with Darwen Council, is a former St John's choirboy.

The Conservative councillor said: "Having raised my concerns on a number of occasions regarding the lack of action on restoring St John's, it is great to see the work to restore this historic church is finally happening.

"I remember as a choirboy at St John's the older buildings being demolished in the town centre while St John's - with its graveyard - stood proud as a symbol of Blackburn's past history."

Built in 1787, active worship at St John's continued until 1975 when it was transferred to the council by the Church Commissioners for England and used to support local civic functions.

In later years, it was used as a community centre.

The update for senior councillors said the local authority had agreed a £3.54m insurance settlement for the fire-gutted building.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the council appointed OMI Architects, an award-winning design practice with experience in modernising historic buildings such as Manchester music venue Band On The Wall, with planning approval granted in November 2023.

"The redevelopment proposals create high-specification flexible workspaces through repair, restoration and refurbishment works," the report said.

The new St John's Business Centre will focus on digital businesses forming a new creative hub.

Work is due to start in March 2026.

In addition to the insurance money, Blackburn with Darwen Council has also received a £4m grant from the Lancashire Combined County Authority.

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