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‘Free for all’ after North Pier is sold
The Sedgwick family are the new owners of North Pier
ANOTHER of Blackpool’s tourism jewels has changed hands after it was announced today North Pier has new owners.
The Victorian landmark has been sold for an undisclosed sum by Six Piers to the Sedgwick family which already operates rides on Central and South Piers.
Work will begin on Monday on a huge revamp with the pier repainted in a new maroon and cream livery.
The new owners will also axe the current 50p admission charge, and plan to bring in a new tram to take visitors from one end of the pier to the other.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Peter Sedgwick said: “North Pier provides a very exciting and unique opportunity for us.
“We are now in the process of reviewing the business and have some early plans for refurbishment and redevelopment that will improve the overall visitor experience to North Pier, which we will announce shortly. Our first priority is to protect, preserve and maintain the heritage and prestigious reputation of one of Blackpool’s most famous icons and national treasures in the seaside leisure industry.
“North Pier is a cherished destination of both visitors and locals alike and we are committed to creating a first class visitor experience and look forward to delivering exceptional events and memorable times for families and generations to come.”
The entertainment programme at North Pier Theatre, which was saved from the threat of closure in 2006 after a Gazette campaign, will continue unaffected.
Five shows are booked in, including Michael Barrymore’s Big Night Out, and the new owners hope to book another two shows and are holding a children’s matinee of Snow White.
Mr Sedgwick added: “People will see a big change in North Pier with substantial investment over the next two years. We are going to bring it back to its former glory.
“Our family’s background is as showmen and buying the pier is something we have looked at for many years. We have been on the other piers for 18 years. We won’t be putting rides on this one. We are bringing in fresh ideas but preserving the heritage of what is the jewel of the Prom.”
North Pier will re-open for the new season ahead of the Easter weekend, with planned events including a celebration to mark the Royal Wedding on April 29.
Six Piers, which is part of the Trevor Hemmings stable of companies, said it was approached by the Sedgwicks and decided to sell after reaching a deal.
Michael Williams, operations director for Six Piers and Crown Entertainment Centres which operates the Winter Gardens on behalf of the council, said: “There had been a number of parties in discussion for purchasing North Pier but we are pleased it will now be in the ownership of a local family who are ambitious for Blackpool.
“They represent the right choice to operate the attraction alongside their existing interests.”
Mr Williams added there were no plans to sell Central or South Piers which are also run by Six Piers.
The company will be refurbishing the Family Bar on Central Pier in time for the summer season, while planning permission is in place for the redevelopment of South Pier.
Alan Cavill, assistant director for tourism and economy at Blackpool Council, said: “We welcome investment in any of the attractions in Blackpool which add to creating a great environment for tourists.
“We look forward to seeing the plans setting out what the new owners propose to do.”
North Pier, which stretches 500 metres into the sea, was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1863 and has Grade II listed status.
Last year Leisure Parcs, also owned by Trevor Hemmings, sold the Tower, the Winter Gardens and the Golden Mile Centre to Blackpool Council in a £40m deal.
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Weather for Blackpool
Thursday 23 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South west
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Comments
There are 35 comments to this article
Page 1 of 3
thedragonsden
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 02:26 AMGood Luck to the Sedgwicks.... hope you have a great year, with many days of sunshine......
Adyj73
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 08:22 PMI'd enjoy a stroll on North Pier with the Sedgewick Ladies - Outstanding :-)
Frustrated
Monday, April 4, 2011 at 09:50 AMSounds like fantastic news for Blackpool. And good luck to the Sedgwicks with their new business venture.
faceless
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 08:30 PMgood news for the blackpool bouncers-------the ball is bouncing back
rj
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 06:58 PMWell done Sedgwick's, just hope Blackpool Council don't close ALL the roads in a 5 mile radius of Blackpool....
Nostalgia
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 04:36 PMWith the recession and climate concerns now is the time for British Holiday Resorts to win back the lost tourists and Blackpool is no exception but it needs to get the formula right in order to succeed. The way forward for Blackpool is to look back at the good old fashioned charm and authenticity of the traditional holiday to see what it got right in the past, but has now lost. It is also about the people that make for a good holiday and late night drinking Hen Party's and Stag nights are not the way to attract the holidaymakers. Nor is modernisation just for the sake of it, before going forward they need to look to the past to see what made it so popular. I say this as someone outside looking in whom used to holiday in Blackpool, but saddened to see it lose much of what made it a great place for family holidays. Maybe that also has something to do with why Pontins Blackpool closed down It is about understanding peoples love of nostalgia and traditional family holidays "Give people what they want and they will visit" Good luck to the new owners who seem to be on the right track for North Pier.
Commonsensical
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 02:18 PMThis has got to be good news, if only because it’s another attraction no longer in the hands of Trevor Hemmings. The man is nothing but a greedy asset stripper who is only interested in making as much money as possible while spending as little as possible. The poor state of the Tower and Winter Gardens are local examples of how he operates and nationally he has decimated Pontins by closing most of the camps to build housing estates.
Steve James
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 02:16 PMsnrterry: Did you not read the article before posting? I quote from Mr Sedgwick:- "We have been on the other piers for 18 years.". This is a local family who care about the pier and are already doing something useful with it to encourage use. Scrapping the admission charge makes perfect sense and allows people to use this facility. Re-instating the tram can only be good news for the theatre, as it can be purgatory trying to get to a show in bad weather (and I speak from experience!). With the terrific shows already announced by Duggie Chapman for the summer, hopefully this lovely theatre will one again be a centre of excellence for entertainment in Blackpool.
peetempest
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 11:44 AMI worked for the Sedgwick family in Blackpool in the late 1980`s and found them to be good people. The "jewel of the Prom" is in good hands. Good luck for the future Peter, Sue and family. Best wishes, from Geoff the bingo caller, Colin the singer, Frenchie`s best mate.
eton rifles
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 11:19 AMComment removed by moderator
SandgrownUn
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 08:47 AMI know little of the Segewick family, but know that it's got to be good news getting the pier out of the ownership of Hemmings who bought many of Blackpool's top attractions, took obscene amounts of money from the tax payers pockets to help maintain them and let them rot. Look at the Winter Gardens and Tower and the renovation now they are not owned by that money grabber!
fish out of water
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 08:43 AMHow on earth is Trevor Hemmings allowed to run the Winter Gardens down to the ground, sell it to the council and then still be allowed to run the thing on the council's behalf?! That's the question everybody should be asking!
Blackpool Belle
Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 12:13 AMSnrTerry- To my knowledge they arent gypsies, having gone to school with one of the daughters i can vouch for them having been grounded for at least the past twenty years nr stanley park.
fraggy
Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 09:53 PMAnother good suggestion would be to bring back the boat trips from the pier like the Victorians & Edwardians used to do....
Charabang
Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 08:37 PMNorth Pier has always been my favourite pier, we have seen some brilliant shows on here over the years. Hopefully it can be restored to it's former glory, after years of neglect, which has seen it falling into disrepair. Good luck to the new owners.
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