Leisure park plan for Burnley town centre

Talks are ongoing between Burnley Borough Council and an established company to create a leisure park on the land, currently being used as a car park.

The council’s ruling Executive Committee met privately last week to discuss leasing the land to the developer.

The news is the latest twist in a saga that has rumbled on for years, ever since ideas for a multi-million pound shopping centre were first mooted.

But in March 2012, Burnley Council announced that the £40m. Oval shopping scheme had been scrapped by developers Henry Boot – eight years after it was unveiled.

That news was met with anger but little surprise from traders in Curzon Street who blasted councillors and developers for putting them through years of uncertainty.

But now the council is again in talks to transform the spare land.

A Burnley Council spokesman said: “Burnley Council is in preliminary discussions with a potential developer with a view to developing the former Pioneer site in Curzon Street for leisure uses, including a multi-screen cinema and food outlets, as well as car parking.

“The talks are still in a very early stage but it is something we are considering very carefully as a way of further encouraging more development in the town centre.”