New Blackpool B&B shows its quirky side with fried egg art

Creative group Left Coast installed the quirky sign in June at the Art B&B on Central Promenade ahead of getting the nod from town hall planners.

The iilluminated fried egg is included in a planning application submitted to the council which also includes gold leaf window graphics and a back-lit menu style light box.

The £1.3m project has previously been in hot water with town hall planners after the exterior of the building was painted black, instead of being rendered dark grey as agreed by councillors.

That issue is yet to be resolved.

Work is currently underway to refurbish the former run down 17-bedroom Ocean Hotel. which Blackpool Council bought for £203,000 in 2016, and re-open it as the Art B&B.

The aim is to create a boutique-style hotel which will support the resort's arts community.

The work is being funded from sources including the Coastal Communities Fund and Arts Council England, Community Business Fund, Tudor Trust and the Clore Duffield Prize Fund.

There has been criticism of the move to paint the exterior of the building black with Coun Tony Williams, leader of the Conservatives on Blackpool Council, saying the exterior should have been painted in brighter colours.

He said: "It has been funded by the Arts Council and other supporting bodies and when you think this is an Art B&B the exterior looks more like a burnt out building.

"Blackpool is a holiday town and I think this specialist hotel should reflect the colourful attributes of a tourism and fun environment."

There was also controversy around the Sands Hotel scheme, also on the Promenade, after its bid to change the colour of the cladding from bronze to black was approved by planners following initial opposition.