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Coastal defence

Blackpool has a marine frontage of about 11.25 kilometres, all of which is protected from erosion by the sea wall, which needs constant maintenance.

Under the Coastal Protection Act the council must ensure the stability of the sea walls and ensure their continuing maintenance, for which a detailed Coast Protection Strategy was adopted by the council in 1995.

Blackpool Council is nearing completion of a twenty year coastal defence strategy which seeks to rebuild those sections of defence most in need. £62 million of works have also been completed transforming the promenade between the Sandcastle Centre and North Pier, and a new 3.2 kilometre seawall has been built along the same stretch.

This has been Blackpool's largest ever civil engineering project to date and took four years to construct working from south to north.

Rossall and Anchorsholme Coast Protection Scheme

Blackpool and Wyre councils are worked in partnership to improve and replace sea defences between Rossall Hospital and Rossall Point and from Kingsway to Little Bispham at Anchorsholme, protecting 12,000 properties from the risk of coastal flooding. The series of major new coastal defences is one of the largest flood defence programmes in the UK and the Rossall sea wall opened in June 2018: Rossall sea wall and coastal defence scheme.

Defra and the Environment Agency formally approved £86million of funding in October 2013 and construction began in April 2014. The promenade at Anchorsholme has reopened.

In addition to the seawall scheme, United Utilities is carrying out construction work in the adjacent Anchorsholme Park as part of their on-going programme of investment to improve water quality along the Fylde Coast. 

For more information about the work at Anchorsholme Park, visit United Utilities' website.