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£150,000 coach park set to open
A NEW £150,000 coach park is just weeks away from opening in Blackpool.
Work is already under way on the scheme after planning permission was granted for changes, including landscaping and a new access road at the junction of Central Drive and New Bonny Street.
The council revealed in May that it proposed to convert 80 car parking spaces on the Central Car Park into six bus bays in order to make the centre of the resort more accessible for visitors arriving by coach.
John Donnellon, assistant director for built environment at Blackpool Council, said: "We want the coach park up and running in time for the start of the school holidays.
"We are optimistic about this season.
"Our early figures for this year suggest it is going to be a good year.
"We believe more people are going to holiday in this country and anything to make the coach experience better for visitors arriving that way must be a good idea."
Further work to create shelters for passengers will be done later in the year following the Illuminations switch-on, which will be held for the last time on Central Car Park this year.
It is scheduled to move to the Tower Festival Headland in 2010.
Work is also under way to replace the toilets on the car park with a modern block of Danfo cubicles, in line with the public toilets provided in other parts of the resort.
Landscaping is being improved in order to make the car and coach park a more attractive arrival experience.
The move to create a dedicated coach park in the town centre has been welcomed by hoteliers and coach tour operators.
Peter Taylor, secretary of StayBlackpool, has described it as "long overdue" while the Coach Tourism Council said Blackpool was one of its most popular destinations so the new parking would "definitely be well used".
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Weather for Blackpool
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 14 C to 20 C
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Wind direction: North west
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Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
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