Full approval now in place for Blackpool museum

Blackpool's new museum has secured full planning permission - bringing the £13m scheme closer to reality.
Work underway at the Palatine building which will house the Blackpool museumWork underway at the Palatine building which will house the Blackpool museum
Work underway at the Palatine building which will house the Blackpool museum

Town hall planners approved the application, which was submitted in August, using their delegated powers.

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Construction work on the site is now well underway.

Blackpool council leader Coun Simon Blackburn said: "This is another positive step forward to delivering an exciting museum which will celebrate Blackpool's unique place in popular culture, will be enjoyed by residents and create another year-round visitor attraction in the heart of the resort.

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"The museum, along with many other significant developments taking place in Blackpool, promises to bring new people, spend and life into our town centre."

The museum will have a ground floor reception area including a shop, with visitors then taking stairs or a lift to the first floor where the main exhibition area will be.

There will also be temporary gallery space, education areas and a coffee shop on the first floor.

The main part of the museum will be in the space previously occupied by the Sands restaurant and entertainment venue.

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Around 40 full-time equivalent jobs will be created including a chief executive, curators, exhibition co-ordinators and ticket sellers.

Most of the funding is now in place for the scheme and it is hoped further grants will be secured by early next year enabling the attraction to open in 2020.

Previous plans for a £26m museum in the Winter Gardens were shelved in July last year due to an £8m funding gap, forcing the council to pursue a more scaled down project.