What Blackpool have said about the plans for a new training facility and improvements to the East Stand

During the Supporter Groups meeting earlier this month, the Seasiders CEO Julian Winter answered questions on both topics, discussing when firmer details can be finalised.

The club lodged an application for the new training and academy facility with Wyre planners last March, in respect of a greenfield site off Streeton Road in Poulton. This would consist of the construction of a two-storey building, indoor pitch, single storey groundstaff facility building, single storey ancillary building and single storey store building- as well as 10 outdoor pitches.

“The training ground is in for planning approval with the Council,” Winter told the Supporters Groups.

"We are led to believe that at the end of February or March it will go to the committee and we will then receive feedback. We’ve done lots of work around the environmental studies on top of the work for the planning application, so this is progressing.

"As for the East Stand, I place this in the same boat as the development of the Revoe Sports Facility. The Revoe has had planning approval, but we’re looking at tweaking the buildings slightly that are in the planning application. This might mean we have to resubmit an adjustment, but there are a number of factors at play here. Before we get to that stage, we need to get approval . The money from the town fund needs to be spent by March 2026.

“We’re about to go out to tender with four architect businesses to give us, on a current plan, a 3600 seater stand. They will feedback their designs and we’ll go from there.”

Following the meeting, the following information was also added to the official minutes: “We’re working with four architects and we want them to come up with different options for different budgets. One of the criteria that they need to work with is that we have a stand that holds a bare minimum of 3600 supporters. No decision has been made on the stand capacity.”