'Eyesore' Blackpool Ibis hotel set for £400k facelift

The scheme will see the former Clifton Hotel, which now operates as a 90-bedroom Ibis, given a full external refurbishment.

It comes three years after heritage guardians first raised concerns about the neglected state of the building on the corner of the Promenade and Talbot Square after cracks developed in the walls.

The council is poised to sign over a £178,300 grant towards the improvements, with the property's owner Juniper Overseas Ltd set to contribute the rest of the £402,000 cost of the scheme.

Coun Maxine Callow, who has campaigned for action, welcomed the investment.

She said: "I have brought this up again and again and now it looks like we are going to do something with the frontage, so it will not be letting the town down and other businesses in the town down."

Work will include essential repairs to the external facade and structure including full redecoration plus re-rendering to significant areas.

Timber will also be repaired, brickwork and stonework will be repointed at high levels, and new drainage infrastructure will be installed. The work also includes replacement of slate and flat roof areas.

Work is expected to start in November and be completed by next spring.

The council funding is from the Quality Corridors Property Improvement Fund (PIF), which is part of Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal Fund and the Local Transport Fund.

It is hoped the investment will help attract new operators to the ground floor units in the property which have been empty since former venues Che Bar and Coco Club closed.

Blackpool Civic Trust first raised concerns about the state of the former Clifton Hotel in November 2016 when cracks appeared in the frontage.

The Clifton dates back to 1865 and was granted listed status in 1974.