A better Blackpool

Blackpool Central

A £300 million development which will bring world-class visitor attractions to a landmark site on the famous Golden Mile. A range of indoor attractions will be built, including the UK’s first flying theatre, the world’s first multimedia exhibition of its kind and the most advanced virtual reality experience on an epic scale.

It is estimated that the development will attract 600,000 additional visitors a year with a combined annual spend of £75m. It will also create 1,000 new jobs for people in Blackpool.

New hotels

The development of several hotels will attract more business into the town, creating new jobs and apprenticeships for local people, as well as more places to eat. The latest £multi-million hotels include Blackpool’s first 5-star accommodation, the Sands Venue, located on the Promenade, and a new 150 room Premier Inn, due to open on Talbot Square in September. There will also be a four-star Holiday Inn hotel - part of the Talbot Gateway area of the town centre near Sainsbury’s and Blackpool North Station – expected to be built between October 2020 and April 2022.

Modern streets

Updating and modernising key streets in Blackpool to create a more modern, fresh and appealing look and feel. Thanks to funding from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal, a £7m facelift will see resurfaced roads, better pavements, more crossings, more benches, bins and cycle parking.

Conference centre

A 21^st Century state-of-the-art conference centre is being built, encouraging more people to stay and shop in our town. The brand new conference centre will directly link to the refurbished Empress Ballroom and Opera House increasing the Winter Gardens overall capacity for conferences to 7,000 delegates. The steel frame for the main event space is currently being installed, with next steps including connecting the new build to the existing Winter Gardens. The conference centre is expected to open for business in 2021.

Talbot Gateway

The Talbot Gateway area is the creation of a town centre business district which includes new offices, a Sainsbury’s superstore, retail units and a new public transport interchange at Blackpool North station. A new road layout and modern pavements have helped to transform the once run-down area in the north of the town centre, creating a new vibrant place to work and do business. The latest phase of works involves the demolition of the former Wilko store building, making way for the brand-new transport interchange, new underpass, a four-star Holiday Inn hotel and restaurant, and new retail outlets.

Better public transport and travel

More trams on the network and more frequent services. The extension to the tramway will connect North Station to the Promenade giving a direct link to shops, hotels and attractions. There will be a modern and electrified rail line which is cleaner, greener, quieter and more reliable, getting you to where you need to be to shop, work and enjoy Blackpool. The roadworks phase of the project was completed in February 2019. The tram extension service is expected to be open with a temporary stop in 2021 and in its permanent condition in 2022.

Blackpool Museum

Showtown Blackpool will be the UK’s first museum to feature permanent displays on circus, magic, variety, and ballroom dance - filled with 800+ objects from the town’s extensive collections and those on loan from our national partners, including the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This £13m project, due to open on the Promenade within the next couple of years, will be designed like no other museum, telling personal stories, highlighting how Blackpool has touched the lives of millions: the stories of visitors, entertainers, celebrities, and residents. 

Blackpool Council Photo credit - Lorne Campbell (Guzelian)

Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone

The Enterprise Zone spans across land on Squires Gate and Blackpool Business Park (including parts of the Blackpool Airport site). The vision for this area is to become home to more than 180 businesses, hosting 3000 new jobs and securing in excess of £300m private sector investment. Since April 2016, it has attracted 73 new companies and resulted in more than 1500 new jobs for the area. 

Planning permission has been granted to create 12 new grass sports pitches on the Common Edge Road playing fields, suitable for activities including football, rugby and hockey. 

Faster internet

Blackpool will connect to New York in under 0.06 seconds, digitally, via the next generation subsea fibre optic cable network linking the USA with European Financial markets, giving the town faster transatlantic internet connectivity than London.

A £multi-million investment by Aquacomms, an Irish company and worldwide specialist in the building and operations of submarine cable systems, will land the new fibre optic cable at a newly built ‘meet me point’ at Blackpool Airport in early 2020, as part of the North Atlantic Loop that delivers a high capacity network connecting the USA (New York and New Jersey) with Ireland, the UK and Northern Europe.

Improving schools and education

Blackpool is one of 12 funded areas taking part in the Department for Education’s opportunity area programme.

Each area is working in partnership with local schools, businesses, charities and partner organisations to overcome the barriers that hold children and young people back.

The programme supports children and young people in Blackpool, helping them to go as far as their talents and ambition will take them.