Multi-million pound regeneration scheme needs to revive Blackpool's Central Drive, not just demolish homes

A fierce debate is continuing on whether a multi-million pound regeneration scheme in Blackpool’s deprived Revoe area has become an unnecessary bid to demolish homes or whether it offers a vital chance to transform the area.

Blackpool Conservative Group Leader in opposition, Councillor Paul Galley, says the current proposals have moved away from the ambitious original plans and now risk becoming a programme focused on demolition rather than regeneration.

He is calling on Blackpool Council to return to the original vision of the 2020 Revoe Masterplan and publish the full Homes England funding bid behind the proposed £90 million regeneration programme.

Cllr Galley says the initial Revoe Masterplan was built around a clear ambition , a 25-year, community-led programme to revitalise Revoe by tackling deprivation, improving homes, supporting local businesses, creating better community facilities and investing in the infrastructure of one of Blackpool’s most important neighbourhoods.

He says the latest scheme has lost sight of that, to the detriment of the people living there, many of whom are bitterly opposed to the demolition proposals.

But Blackpool Council Leader, Cllr Lynn Williams, says that instead of the debate being framed purely as demolition versus refurbishment, it is in fact about the choice between continuing to manage decline or creating a better, modern and safer neighbourhod.

She says it is a golden opportunity to completely transform the whole area, instead of doing so in a piecemeal way, and she argues it is a chance that cannot be missed.

Although the project - backed by the £90m Homes England grant - is not likely to happen immediately, a planning application to demolish 300 houses and build 230 new ones has now been lodged with Blackpool planners

Get back to original scheme

Councillor Galley said this week: “The original Revoe Masterplan was about investing in Central Drive and improving the lives of the people who live there. It was about renewal, opportunity and creating a thriving community.

“What we are now seeing is a plan centred on demolishing family homes and displacing long-standing residents, while the wider regeneration of Central Drive itself appears to have been pushed aside.

“Regeneration should be about improving places and supporting communities, not simply removing them.”

Councillor Galley argues that significant public funding could deliver a greater long-term impact if it is focused on housing renewal, improving existing properties, supporting businesses and bringing new investment into Central Drive, rather than large-scale demolition without meaningful resident support.

He said: “Residents supported a vision of investment, improved housing, stronger businesses and a revitalised Central Drive. They did not vote for a future where communities are uprooted and homes are lost.

“Before any further decisions are made, residents, businesses and councillors deserve to see exactly what was submitted to Homes England and what commitments were made.”

Let us see what bid says

Councillor Galley is calling on Blackpool Council to immediately publish the full funding bid submitted to Homes England, allowing proper scrutiny and ensuring the community can understand how the £90 million programme is intended to be delivered.

“Transparency matters. If the Council believes this is the right approach, it should publish the bid in full and allow residents to see what was promised and how public money is being used.

“There is still time to refocus this programme and put regeneration back at its heart, improving homes, supporting businesses, investing in Central Drive and creating a future where existing residents benefit from the changes taking place around them.”

Councillor Galley said he will continue to campaign for a regeneration programme that listens to residents, delivers lasting improvements and remains faithful to the ambitions set out in the original Revoe Masterplan.

Leader’s response

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Our plans for Central Drive are about restoring the area to its heyday, making it an area where people want to live and raise their children. The area is the third most deprived in the entire country – which proves that previous efforts to refurbish and regenerate the area haven’t had the desired impact or gone far enough.

“This debate is often framed as demolition versus refurbishment. In reality, the choice is between continuing to manage decline or creating a neighbourhood with modern homes, gardens, green space, safer streets and opportunities for our people to thrive.

“Our responsibility is not only to address today's problems but to create a better neighbourhood for future generations, and that is exactly what this programme is intended to achieve.

“The feedback from our consultation in March said that 70% of people who live in the area think the quality of housing and green spaces are poor or very poor, and that they wanted to see a wider range of housing types, including modern terraces, semi-detached and flats in modern apartment blocks, which is what we’re planning to build back.

Once in a generation chance

“While there is undoubtedly a community in Revoe that we’ve worked with for decades, the circumstances around the housing are not allowing them to thrive. Previous projects were based on small pots of money and done on a small scale which meant we had limited impact. Homes England have determined that the need is now so great that a significantly bigger regeneration is needed than we ever imagined is possible.

“This is a once in a generation chance to have a major impact to restore not just how the neighbourhood looks, but also create healthier lives, like the impact that we’ve had at Grange Park and Queens Park.

“It’s really important to remind everybody that people are being supported through every part of the process and for over a year we’ve had a team of people on the ground helping people to find places to live.

“Not everybody wants to stay local, but if they do then we are supporting them to make that happen. I have seen plenty of examples of people and families who have stayed close to their communities and schools but in much more suitable housing that is warmer, bigger and safer.

“To suggest that isn’t the case is just planned to stir up more division, when the reality is that anybody in the area can access that support.

“Cllr Galley in his previous plans for Blackpool had proposed demolishing low value properties and replacing them with higher value ones so he could increase council tax revenue.

“Now because we want to build social housing not private housing he is dead against it. I think the people of Blackpool can probably see through that.

“This isn’t just about now – it’s about the future and creating a Blackpool where our young people want to grow up and stay living locally.”