Anger at neglected buildings dubbed a 'scar' on Blackpool Promenade

Coun Paul Galley, leader of the Conservative group on Blackpool Council, is calling for action after finding 10 per cent of seafront buildings between Starr Gate and Bispham are abandoned or empty.

He told a meeting of the full council he had personally counted 289 buildings on that stretch of the Promenade, of which 29 were deserted (10 per cent).

Of these, six were in a row on Central Promenade directly opposite the Metropole Hotel in the heart of the town centre.

Coun Galley told full council: “They look dreadful. It acts like a scar on Blackpool because everyone sees them, and they see the neglect.

“Some of the buildings have been empty so long that the metal is corroded. Where is the action to deal with these empty properties and the dereliction and neglect that we are seeing and that people judge us on?”

Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said powers were used to force property owners to improve their buildings, but it was a matter of having sufficient resources to keep applying pressure.

She said: “We have set up the Problematic Properties Group, but the bottom line is pulling together resources and funding for our officers.

“We have lots of powers, but we don’t have as many as people think. These are private owners who are neglecting their properties and ignoring enforcement notices.”

She added it was difficult to trace the owners of many abandoned properties which created “a nightmare” for the council.

Speaking after the meeting, Coun Galley added: “They give a terrible and unfair impression of Blackpool acting like a scar on Blackpool itself.

It is calling on the Government to introduce a new national empty homes programme to create additional housing supply for those most in need.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities figures show 1,382 homes in Blackpool were long-term empty as of October – a slight increase from 1,365 during the same period in 2022.

“We absolutely must bring these properties back in to use by either working with the owners or using legislation like Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO’s) and even compulsory purchase where necessary.

“It comes after research by national charity Action on Empty Homes found more than 1,000 long-term empty homes in Blackpool.