Josie Webster, 80, has moved into sheltered accommodation at Cherry Tree Gardens, having sold her home on Montrose Avenue as part of Blackpool Council’s central housing regeneration scheme.
With increasing health needs and mobility issues, the opportunity to move into a ground floor flat has turned out to be a lifeline following the loss of her husband, George.
The couple met and married in Blackpool after each moving to the resort in the 1970s; Josie from Cumbria, and George from Yorkshire. They had owned and lived in their home since 1984.
Josie said:
“It was a lovely community when we first moved in. But - especially after George died - it was the right thing for me to move. The house was starting to feel too much. We only had a bathroom downstairs and I slept upstairs. I started to fear night times because if I needed to get up, it was difficult getting up and down the stairs. The community had changed over the years too. I was feeling unsafe and isolated on the street – you didn’t know your neighbours anymore.”
Montrose Avenue falls within the area Blackpool Council is planning to regenerate. It hopes to restore Central Drive back to its heyday – creating the kind of neighbourhood that first attracted Josie and George to the area.
The council has lodged a hybrid planning application for a £90m regeneration project.
Under the proposals, 300 properties in a densely populated area will be demolished to make way for 230 energy-efficient homes, which the council aims to be for social housing. The plans also include creating new green spaces, community facilities, flexible workspaces, and shops.
The Websters were first contacted about regeneration plans for the area in early 2025. Sadly, George died just a few weeks later, aged 78.
Josie, who was a supervisor at a café before she retired, said:
“I was frightened at first. I’d just lost George and we’d lived there more than 40 years. But the team were sympathetic and understanding of my situation.”
Josie decided she wanted to move into sheltered housing. With support from her niece and her husband, Sue and Chris Dawes, and officers from Blackpool Council, she started to navigate the moving process.
Sue, a former social worker, said:
“It was the right thing to happen at the right time for Josie. A bereavement and a house move are two of the biggest things you can go through. She didn’t have any choice in either, but she’s dealt with them both brilliantly. It’s all worked out well and the support along the way has been great.”
Josie was supported to view different sheltered housing options, complete applications, and work with her solicitor to negotiate sale of her property.
She added:
“When we went to look around Cherry Tree Gardens, neighbours came out to say hello. I felt welcomed and at home there straight away. I’d been craving that kind of community. It all felt so safe, especially with the wardens too. It is the best thing that could have happened to me. I love my new flat. George would have loved it here. He’d be proud of me for getting through it.”
Cllr Dave Flanagan, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for housing, said:
“I am so thrilled to know Josie feels safer and happier in her new home. To navigate a house move following a bereavement is huge, and she has both our admiration and sympathy. We understand the regeneration plans can cause anxiety for people. Our teams are on hand to support and work through this, though. Please do come and chat to our team and ask for the help you need – they’re at Ibbison Community Centre every week, and contactable by phone or email. We’re so grateful to all those in our team working hard to inform, reassure and guide residents to find new tenancies or navigate house sales. They’re working with each household at their own pace, reassuring and guiding them every step of the way, as Josie’s story shows. Josie and George’s early experience of living in the Central Drive area is exactly what we’re hoping to recreate under our proposals. We want to create a neighbourhood that’s welcoming and attractive; somewhere that people choose to move to and feel at home in for decades.”
Residents or landlords in the ‘red line’ area who have not yet engaged with Blackpool Council can do so by:
- Calling: 01253 477477 (and asking for the central housing engagement team)
- Emailing: housingcentralregen@blackpool.gov.uk
- Or attending a drop-in session at Ibbison Community Centre, Central Drive – held every Tuesday 9am-4.30pm, Thursday 9am-12noon, or Friday 9am-1pm.