Burnley’s £23M Pioneer Place which will be home to Nandos, Starbucks and Icaro Lounge on schedule to open in September

The impressive site will feature a multi-screen cinema and five retail and leisure units, plus a 226 space car park. The most recent tenant to sign up is Loungers PLC, who is opening its latest UK Lounges café bar operation in the town.

It follows international chains Nando’s and Starbucks, which have also taken space on the site and discussions are well underway to fill the remaining two units.

Burnley Council leader Coun. Afrasiab Anwar said: "It's really exciting to see Pioneer Place almost completed and opening in just a couple of months. Now the hoardings have started to come down you can really get a sense of what it's going to look like. I can't wait and I'm sure others feel the same. It's going to be another great reason to come to Burnley."

Contractors are putting the finishing touches to the buildings as well as the adjacent "plaza" area and the 226-space public pay and display car park, another section of which is set to re-open in the next few days.

The cinema will be operated by REEL Cinemas which will move from its current site in Manchester Road, Burnley. That site will be re-developed for occupation by supermarket chain Lidl. The adjoining Star pub will remain unaffected.

It is estimated Pioneer Place will support around 180 jobs, with a further 100-plus new jobs being created in the cinema and supporting food outlets. The work has been carried out by the council’s development partner Maple Grove Developments, part of the Eric Wright Group.

Pioneer Place secured funding from Burnley borough and Lancashire county councils, the Government’s Getting Building Fund administered by Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP)., and fashion company and the borough’s largest employer boohoo.

It forms part of a wider town centre masterplan to attract millions of pounds of investment into boosting Burnley town centre. The development follows other investment in improvements to the town centre, the creation of a Heritage Action Zone in Lower St James' Street, and the council’s purchase of Charter Walk shopping centre to help secure its future.