Blackpool hotel plan gets go ahead - provided developer pays for parking scheme

Plans to extend a seafront hotel have got the go ahead – but only after developers agreed to stump up £10,000 towards a residents only parking scheme.
Hampton by Hilton on South PromenadeHampton by Hilton on South Promenade
Hampton by Hilton on South Promenade

An application to add another 74 bedrooms to the 130-room Hampton by Hilton Hotel on South Promenade in Blackpool looked set to stall until the demand was met.

A meeting of the council’s planning committee heard while investment in the resort was welcomed, the success of the hotel had created parking misery for nearby residents.

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Guests fill up parking spaces on nearby residential roads in order to avoid parking charges at the hotel off Bourne Crescent.

The development will see a four storey extension built on the adjoining public car park where the Warwick Hotel stood until it was demolished in 2016, meaning the loss of 110 spaces and putting even more pressure on street parking.

Although Hampton by Hilton proposes to increase its car park capacity from 34 to 86 spaces, it was feared this would not resolve the issue.

Christina Wright, of Clifton Drive, told the meeting the situation was “beyond ridiculous”.

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She added: “This weekend I was sat in my car for an hour and five minutes on a double yellow line waiting for a car parking space anywhere in the vicinity.

“I was waiting for someone to pull away so I can park near my home.”

Hotelier Susan Whadcock told the meeting, held via Zoom: “We have had major parking problems since the day they opened.

“Hampton should allow their guests to park for free, because they park everywhere else for free. None of the other hoteliers charge their guests for parking.”

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Susan Parker, head of development control at the council, said a solution would be to introduce residents only parking in nearby streets which would cost £10,000 for a traffic regulation order.

Paul Mathison, chief executive of Create Construction which built and owns the Hampton by Hilton, agreed to pay the £10,000 as part of a condition of planning approval.

He said they wanted to invest in Blackpool but agreed parking was a problem in the area despite the hotel encouraging its guests to use its car park.

Following the decision, Gill Mathison, spokesperson for Create Group said: “The extension to our Blackpool Hampton by Hilton Hotel is a testament to the success of our team and the quality of the Hampton by Hilton brand.

"I am delighted the improvements we are making to the hotel will entice more people to come and stay at the resort, which in-turn will provide much-needed support to other local businesses."

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