# Whitebirk > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Whitebirk > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Whitebirk.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitebirk > Source revision: 1328732160 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Suburb of Blackburn, Lancashire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{coord|53.755|-2.450|display=title|region:GB_scale:10000}} thumb|The Red Lion pub in Whitebirk. '''Whitebirk''' is a [suburb](/source/suburb) in the east of [Blackburn](/source/Blackburn), in [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire), [England](/source/England). Most of the suburb is in the borough of [Blackburn with Darwen](/source/Blackburn_with_Darwen), with the east of the suburb being in the borough of [Hyndburn](/source/Hyndburn). Whitebirk is part of the Blackburn [urban area](/source/urban_area).{{cite web | url=http://www.northwesteip.co.uk/downloads/documents/20061030094159.doc | title=Regional Spatial Strategy - Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council statement | year=2006 | accessdate=2008-03-13 | publisher=Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council }} The area is largely industrial, and is the eastern terminus of the town's northern [bypass](/source/bypass_(road)), the [A6119](/source/A6119_road), where it meets Junction 6 of the [M65](/source/M65_motorway). To the west of the bypass, there is Burnley Road and the Greenbank Business Park, and to the east, across the boundary in Hyndburn, is the Peel Centre Blackburn, a [retail park](/source/retail_park) built in the 1980s on the site of [Whitebirk Power Station](/source/Blackburn_power_stations), which was opened in 1921, and closed in 1976.{{cite web | url=http://www.cottontown.org/page.cfm?language=eng&pageID=2941 | title=Blackburn Encyclopaedia W | accessdate=2008-03-13 | last=Smith | first=Ray | publisher=Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council }} The suburb also includes a [council estate](/source/council_estate), which is situated between the [A679](/source/A679_road) Accrington Road, [A678](/source/A678_road) Burnley Road, and A6119 Whitebirk Road.[http://www.get-with-it.org.uk/whitebirk/whitebirk.html Website for the Community Health Development Team] The areas of Whitebirk are in different [wards](/source/wards_of_the_United_Kingdom) for local government: the residential area is in Shadsworth and Whitebirk, the industrial estate is in [Little Harwood](/source/Little_Harwood), and the retail park is in Rishton Ward. ==Retail== ''The Peel Centre'' includes [Currys](/source/Currys), [PC World](/source/PC_World_(retailer)), [ScS Sofas](/source/ScS), Onit Furniture, [Dreams](/source/Dreams_(bed_retailer)), [Smyths Toys Superstore](/source/Smyths), [B&M Bargains](/source/B_%26_M), [Sofaworks](/source/Sofaworks), [Harveys Furniture](/source/Harveys_Furniture) and [Bensons for Beds](/source/Bensons_for_Beds). In January 2015, [Smyths Toys Superstore](/source/Smyths) announced plans to open in the park, and opened in October 2015. [B&M Bargains](/source/B_%26_M) also has presence in the centre. [The Range](/source/The_Range_(retailer)) has a store in Whitebirk, located where [B&Q](/source/B%26Q) used to be in Blackburn, before it relocated in September 2004 to the ''Nova Scotia Retail Park'', in the Grimshaw Park area. In December 2015, [Aldi](/source/Aldi) announced plans to open in the park.{{cite web|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/14169216.Proposals_for_new_Blackburn_Aldi_store_with_car_parking_servicing_submitted/|title=Proposals for new Blackburn Aldi store with car parking servicing submitted|publisher=[lancashiretelegraph.co.uk](/source/lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)|date=December 28, 2015|accessdate=February 25, 2016}} In April 2016, the plans were approved, although the application saw opposition.{{cite web|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/14425186.Controversial_store_at_Whitebirk_retail_park_will_be_outlet_for_discount_chain_Aldi/|title=Controversial store at Whitebirk retail park will be outlet for discount chain Aldi|publisher=lancashiretelegraph.co.uk|date=April 14, 2016|accessdate=April 16, 2016}} The store opened in May 2017. [Peel](/source/The_Peel_Group), the site's owner, has repeatedly have had planning permission denied for a controversial expansion of the park, first in May 2005, then June 2007, and most recently August 2014, by the [High Court](/source/High_Court_of_Justice), after an appeal was lodged. They wanted the use of the site to be changed, by adding [ASDA Living](/source/ASDA_Living), [Boots](/source/Boots_UK), and [Next](/source/Next_plc), trying to make a "copy" of [Preston](/source/Preston%2C_Lancashire)'s Deepdale, as well as relocating other stores. In June 2007, then Blackburn MP [Jack Straw](/source/Jack_Straw) announced that it would be the "death knell" for Blackburn, as did then Hyndburn MP [Greg Pope](/source/Greg_Pope), saying that it would be the "death knell" for Accrington. A motor park in Whitebirk includes: [BMW](/source/BMW)/[Mini](/source/Mini_(marque)) (''Bowker''), [Audi](/source/Audi) (''Thompson''), [Toyota](/source/Toyota) (''Vantage''), [Volkswagen](/source/Volkswagen) (''[Lookers](/source/Lookers)''), ''Hippo Motor Group''. Other car dealers in Whitebirk are [Mercedes-Benz](/source/Mercedes-Benz) (''Blackburn''), and [Ford](/source/Ford_of_Europe) (''[Evans Halshaw](/source/Pendragon_PLC)''). ==Employers== EDC Blackburn was the largest manufacturer of [CD](/source/Compact_Disc)s in the United Kingdom,{{cite web | url=http://edc-blackburn.co.uk/ | title=EDC Blackburn | accessdate=2008-04-07 }} and was located between Whitebirk and Little Harwood; the company, formerly Deluxe Global Media Services, was acquired by [Entertainment Distribution Company](/source/Entertainment_Distribution_Company) in December 2006, and officially closed down in June 2009, when production was moved to [Germany](/source/Germany).{{Cite web | url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/1080141.lets_lift_leona_to_number_one/ | title=Let's lift Leona to Number One! | first=Ben | last=Briggs | work=[Lancashire Telegraph](/source/Lancashire_Telegraph) | publisher=[Newsquest Media Group](/source/Newsquest_Media_Group) | date=2006-12-18 | accessdate=2010-05-27}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/news/blackburn/4421594.Battle_to_rescue_Blackburn_260_CD_factory_jobs_fails/ | title=Battle to rescue Blackburn 260 CD factory jobs fails | first=David | last=Watkinson | work=[Lancashire Telegraph](/source/Lancashire_Telegraph) | publisher=[Newsquest Media Group](/source/Newsquest_Media_Group) | date=2009-06-05 | accessdate=2010-05-27}} [Bus](/source/Bus) manufacturer [Darwen Group](/source/Darwen_Group), formerly [East Lancashire Coachbuilders](/source/East_Lancashire_Coachbuilders), moved to the industrial estate in the 1990s, from its previous site in the Brookhouse area of Blackburn. It later became part of [Optare](/source/Optare) and the site closed in 2012.{{Cite web |url=http://www.optare.com/pr_25_05_12.htm |title=Optare |access-date=20 January 2014 |archive-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201194942/http://www.optare.com/pr_25_05_12.htm |url-status=dead }} ==References== {{reflist}} {{Blackburn with Darwen geography}} {{Borough of Hyndburn geography}} Category:Geography of Blackburn with Darwen Category:Geography of Hyndburn --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Whitebirk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitebirk) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitebirk?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.