New Blackpool visitor attraction plans 'to be revealed in summer'

It is now expected to be the summer before plans for a new visitor attraction on Blackpool's Central Station site can be unveiled.
Central Station car parkCentral Station car park
Central Station car park

But town hall chiefs say the potential developer they are working with as part of an exclusivity deal remains fully committed to the project.The deal was signed in November 2016 following a visit by council leaders to the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) conference in Orlando, Florida.Council leader Coun Simon Blackburn and director of place Alan Cavill also attended the conference last year.The police station, which currently occupies part of the land now called the Central Leisure Quarter (CLQ) is currently preparing to move to its new site in Marton.Deputy leader Coun Gillian Campbell said: “Discussions are continuing with the international developers who are preparing a masterplan for the Central Station site. “We are expecting to see the first draft of their plans in the next few weeks and I would hope that we would be able to share them publically before the summer.”A question mark still hangs over the future of the court buildings, however.In a report to full council Coun Campbell adds: “With regard to reviewing the facilities for the courts and their potential relocation, the council has commissioned AHR Architects to undertake a feasibility study which will review a number of potential sites in and around Blackpool.”The study, funded by the Cabinet Office, is expected to be completed by the late spring and will form part of future negotiations with both the developer and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service.