The ‘pro-growth’ Council has published a new report outlining funding collected through Section 106 (S106) contributions.
As of the end of March 2024, the Council had secured £14.7m over 5 years to support:
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Affordable housing
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Education
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Transport and travel improvements
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Highways improvements
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Health
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Community facilities
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Open space and leisure
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And more
In 2024/25 alone, £2.5m was received from developments including the former Sappi Papermill site in Blackburn, Holden Fold in Darwen, and the Water’s Edge scheme near Royal Blackburn Hospital.
During the same period, S106 funding supported improvements to Witton Park, Whitehall Park and the playground at Guide, with Feniscowles Sports Club also benefitting.
Highways works included the widening of Haslingden Road with new pedestrian crossings, upgrading the Moor Lane junction in Darwen, and contributing towards improvements along the Yew Tree Drive corridor.
More than £600,000 was also spent during the year to provide new sites for affordable housing across the borough.
Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
“We hear so much nationally about the need for growth, and it’s something we’ve long embraced here in Blackburn with Darwen.
“We’re on a mission to create a more prosperous borough where no-one is left behind – creating more jobs, better-paid roles, higher-quality housing and supporting good public services – all things that improve our residents’ quality of life.
“Of course, we want to achieve this in a well-managed way, and we are one of only a few councils with an approved Local Plan – a blueprint for the future of our borough – that allows us to do that.
“We also know that strong infrastructure is vital. These Section 106 contributions are essential in helping us deliver improvements right across the borough – improvements that simply wouldn’t be possible with the way councils are funded today.
“At Blackburn with Darwen, we make every penny count and securing £14.7m through these S106 contributions is a fantastic achievement.”
The Blackburn with Darwen Infrastructure Funding Statement is published annually and is available on the Council’s website.
It provides a full breakdown of contributions, the developments that provided them, and how the funding has been spent.
It also includes a list of future projects, with some S106 funds allocated over a 10-year period to support major infrastructure schemes.
Future priorities include contributions towards new school places, where required, support for multi-million-pound transport investment in South East Blackburn, and improved healthcare facilities.
Councillor Mahmood added:
“These improvements matter to us, to our residents and to our communities and they help make a real difference.
“Securing this funding means we can deliver the upgrades that are needed – upgrades to things like our parks, open spaces, roads, schools, healthcare facilities and more.
“These are things that really matter to our residents and the businesses we have based here in Blackburn with Darwen too.
“Building high-quality housing is also vital to the future success of our borough.
“We know it’s one of the best ways to improve the quality of life of our residents, and it helps us retain talented people in our borough too – residents often in well-paid jobs who support our towns and businesses.
“The benefits of growth are far-reaching and it’s why it’s such a priority for us as a council – we are ambitious for our borough; we want our residents to be successful and have the very best chances in life.”
