Residents urged not to be alarmed as security ramps up for Blackpool’s Conservative Party Conference

The Conservative Party will return to the resort for its Spring Conference on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19.

The event will see a series of key speeches and meetings held at the £28m state-of-the-art Winter Gardens Conference and Exhibition Centre.

The main conference will be preceded by a prestigious business dinner on Thursday evening (March 17) and a meetin g attended by business le aders on Friday morning (March 18).

Safety fencing, diversions and police officers will be stationed throughout the town centre for the duration of the event.

“Please don’t be alarmed by this, they are there to keep everyone safe and ensure the event runs smoothly,” a spokesman for Lancashire Police said.

Supt Mark Morley, of Lancashire Police, added they were “working closely with Blackpool Council and a range of other organisations to deliver a safe and secure event”.

“We will have a very visible police presence around the Winter Gardens throughout the conference so we’d encourage people to speak to one of our officers or call us if they have any concerns.”

Residents were warned some parking restrictions might be in place in Leopold Grove, Adelaide Street, Coronation Street, Church Street, Adelphi Street, Carter Street and Alfred Street.

Houndshill Car Park will remain open as usual throughout, but the council advised residents and visitors to be mindful that the closures might affect access to parking in nearby areas.

Coun Lynn Williams, Blackpool Council’s Leader, said: “This is a high-profile event which will bring increased footfall to the town centre, so naturally there will be a detailed security operation in place.

“Whilst we always try to minimise disruption wherever possible, we take the safety of residents and visitors extremely seriously, and with the help of the Police and wider partners, we are taking steps to ensure the event goes ahead with all the proper precautions in place.

“We ask that people familiarise themselves with the temporary changes and allow some extra time for any journeys through the town centre.”

The following sections of road will be closed from Wednesday morning (March 16) until Saturday (March 19):

- Leopold Grove (closure to vehicles and pedestrians between the junction of Adelaide Street and Church Street)

- Adelaide Street (closure to vehicles between the junction of Leopold Grove and Coronation Street)

- Coronation Street (closure to vehicles and pedestrians between Victoria Street and Church Street. (The junction of Coronation Street and Victoria Street will be closed, however, there will be access for pedestrians turning right from Victoria Street via a walkway outside Bella Italia)

- Church Street (closure to vehicles between the junction of Cedar Square, Birley Street and Corporation Street, outside the Grand Theatre)

- Adelphi Street and Carter Street (closure to vehicles and pedestrians)

- Alfred Street (closure to vehicles between Adelaide Street and Church Street)

Anyone who is worried by, or sees, any suspicious activity can alert the police.

If a crime is in progress or you think someone may be in danger, call 999 immediately.

You can report other non-emergency information by visiting lancashire.police.uk or calling 101.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking HERE.