New homes set to be built on site where Blackpool laundry firm was destroyed by fire

Plans for six new homes have been submitted to planners at Blackpool Council on the land between Ball Street and Duke Street in South Shore, where Elite Linen once stood.

The company is still up and running, and now advertises its trading address as Cocker Avenue on Poulton Industrial Estate.

Simon Bithell, from Bithell Brothers in Poulton, wants to build four two-bedroom homes and two two-bedroom flats, papers lodged with the council showed.

He said the land is vacant after the fire, which sent a plume of thick black smoke in the air, which could be seen for miles. Nobody was hurt.

Mr Bithell said the land was not thought to be contaminated.

The council’s roads department said a lack of parking in the area means officers would “not look to require parking for these dwellings, although it might be a useful marketing angle if it were considered”.

Charred brick, twisted metal, and the wrecked remains of industrial washing machines were all that remained of Elite Linen’s premises after the blaze in June 2017. The damage was so devastating, it was warned the building could “collapse at any moment”, leading to the demolition of what little was left standing.

Around 40 firefighters were called to tackle the inferno as the busy Lytham Road was cordoned off.

Some 30 homes were also evacuated as hundreds of passers-by and residents watched the drama unfold from positions of safety.