Blackpool Football Club withdraws proposals in relation to new community pitches next to Bloomfield Road
Revised plans for community sports pitches next to Blackpool Football Club's Bloomfield Road stadium have been withdrawn.
The application to amend the approved scheme for the Revoe Sports Village was submitted to the council by Blackpool FC last November, seeking permission to make small changes to a proposed groundsman’s hut due to be built behind the existing East and North stands at the stadium.
The main changes include the removal of the welfare facilities which are no longer required by the club, resulting in the removal of windows from the north and east elevations. But the application has now been withdrawn while the original planning approval, granted by the Planning Committee in January 2023, remains in place.
The scheme - which has received £6.5m from Blackpool’s £40m Town Deal, is the first phase of development which it is also hoped will see a new East Stand built at the football ground.
The club is expected to invest at least £10m but a planning application has yet to be submitted, with delays blamed on rising costs which are being reviewed. An update was due to be given to the February meeting of the Blackpool Town Deal Board but minutes from the meeting have yet to be published.
The delay of both projects has raised concerns among councillors with the Town Deal funding due to be spent by the end of March 2026, although deadlines could be extended by a further year if the government agrees to a request.
Nick Gerrard, growth and prosperity programme director at Blackpool Council, told a meeting in February the contract for the Revoe sports pitches are due to be signed. Addressing a meeting of the Tourism, Economy and Communities Scrutiny Committee, he said tenders for the work were being evaluated. He also reiterated to the meeting that "Blackpool Football Club are saying they do want to build the East Stand."
Planning permission is in place for investment at Revoe Sports Village including an enclosed full-size 11-a-side artificial grass pitch and an enclosed five-a-side artificial grass pitch, both with floodlighting, a single-storey changing pavilion and a storage building.
The council has been negotiating over a couple of years to buy properties on Henry Street to enable the East Stand to be built, with the latest information confirming 17 properties have been acquired, with a further sale going through, and two residential properties plus the Firwood Timber and Building Supplies site subject to ongoing negotiations.