'Significant' £39.5m award to build the future of Blackpool is welcomed

Blackpool North and Cleveleys' Conservative MP Paul Maynard said the successful bid to the Government’s Towns Fund had come through teamwork within the resort to produce a Blackpool Prospectus - a master plan put together by civic leaders and private sector figures outlining the way Blackpool can develop and flourish by 2030.

The Blackpool Prospectus, first put together in 2018, was seen as vital for persuading the Government to part with cash under the Towns Fund and included such ideas as creating a civil service hub in the town, pushing on with the Talbot Gateway redevelopment, improving the rail and tram connections in South Shore, the the designation of the Fylde Coast as a tourism zone, and a covered zone in the town centre to link landmarks including the Tower, Winter Gardens, the Sands Resort Hotel and the Houndshill Shopping Centre.

The work was co-ordinated with the help of the Blackpool Pride of Place Partnership which also wanted to create 3,000 new good-quality homes and drive up employment rates and skills in the town.

The full details of which schemes can go ahead under the £39.5m award are yet to be unveiled.

Mr Maynard said: “This significant investment is the culmination of a decade of work, lobbying successive Governments to recognise not only the challenges we face but the potential of our town.

"There has never been a more important time to secure such a significant sum and such a vital vote of confidence in Blackpool. This builds on the hundreds of millions of pounds in road and rail infrastructure investment I have already helped secure.

“I have repeatedly made the case for sustained investment in our town - investment attached to a long-term vision. That case was made much easier by the creation of the Blackpool Prospectus, a vital blueprint without which this bid would not have been possible.

"The Towns Fund is an opportunity to present to Government a vision not only of what we want for Blackpool now, but where we want to be in the future. This has always been my goal, to deliver a locally-driven, joined-up package for Blackpool, rather than the piecemeal regeneration of the past.

“This funding will help kick start major projects to boost growth, deliver new jobs, education opportunities and improved local infrastructure. It will help us better connect our local communities and tackle the social and economic challenges I know many in Blackpool face.

"This is a significant step towards delivering, for example, a £300m transformation of Blackpool’s tourist heartland and £90m investment in a new further and higher education campus.

“This is not about one single scheme, it is about enabling investment in Blackpool. This money from Government potentially unlocks ten times more cash from the private sector.

"The challenge now for our local authority leaders is ensuring this vital funding is put to best use and I remain ready and willing to assist in whatever way I can.”

Blackpool South MP Scott Benton said the announcement was fantastic news for Blackpool.

He said: "We are one of the first seven towns in the country to be awarded money as part of the Towns Fund deal and our allocation at £39.5m is the largest of any of any town.

"Paul Maynard and I have been lobbying ministers for months to get the maximum possible amount of funding for Blackpool and I’m delighted that we’ve secured this from government.

"The money will be spent on regeneration projects and will help to create new jobs and further investment attracting businesses and visitors. I was elected on a promise of securing funds for Blackpool and levying up. This announcement today is a major step forward to help us to achieve this."

Claire Smith, president of hoteliers’ association StayBlackpool, said: “This is wonderful news. We are having such a challenging time at the moment and we are desperate for next year to be better so that those businesses that manage to survive the winter and get through to the next year have something to look forward to.

“The more money that we can get from the Government to spend on all these wonderful ideas we have here in the town the better. We just need some funding for them so the fact that this is going to be spent on the Illuminations and hopefully over things that will attract more visitors is absolutely brilliant because we really do need to pull those visitors in from next year onwards to try and pull back something from the losses this year.

“Obviously the illuminations are a big part of the tourist industry for Blackpool, a huge part in fact, and it does extend our season so we need all the help we can get next year.

“Also the transport links for moving people around the coast is fabulous news as well so overall this is absolutely brilliant for Blackpool and it’s a substantial amount of money as well.

“We can do really good things with this so I am absolutely thrilled to bits with the news. It’s so great to hear some positive news as well because especially everyone in the entertainment, accommodation and attraction sectors are having such a tough time so any help we can get will encourage more visitors in town which is going to help resolve the worries.”

Read Also: Blackpool is in line to get £39.5m from the Government to help boost the economy.Blackpool Gazette:

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