Housing, Post Office hotel plan and multiversity all part of new Blackpool Levelling up hopes

Both proposals are part of Blackpool's Levelling Up agenda to tackle deprivation in the town.

Blackpool is also now working with Homes England on a Kings Cross style levelling up scheme to improve large areas of housing.

Its new Levelling Up bid will also include an improved transport-specific bid to improve town centre access roads, and a bid to support the multiversity.

Council leader Coun Lynn Williams, said the council was already delivering better housing through its £70m My Blackpool Home project, but added "a far greater scale of intervention is now needed to create the housing offer that will lead to a more stable, balanced community.

"This is why we are pleased that Government and Homes England are now partnering with us, and planning to support the delivery of the transformation required."

The post office scheme missed out on Levelling Up funding of £7m when the bid was rejected last autumn putting the future of the project to redevelop the Grade II listed building on Abingdon Street in doubt.

But a report to full council reveals new bids are to be submitted by the deadline of July 6 including one seeking funding "to regenerate the formerPost Office on Abingdon Street into a private sector-led boutique hotel scheme."

It is not yet known how much money is being sought towards the scheme which was granted planning permission in November last year.

Developers Ashall Projects want to transform the former post office into a 148-room Hotel Indigo and Indigo Suites.

Councillors on the planning committee were warned last year the condition of the building, which closed in 2007, had deteriorated with concerns including water leakage.

Coun Williams added the round two levelling up submission would also focus on education infratructure with the proposed multiversity included.

She said: "As part of this, we want to bring our local higher education offer right into the town centre - via a new multiversity campus.

“Detailed work is now taking place using external expertise where relevant to ensure that Blackpool puts itself into the strongest possible position to secure a Levelling Up Fund Round two bid.

"We want to ensure that the opportunities of being one of the places selected for transformational regeneration and from the Shared Prosperity Fund are utilised to achieve the Council’s strategic regeneration objective. Our approach on this, with our partners is innovative and exciting and we are hopeful we will be able to share more detail with the people of Blackpool soon”.

The £85m multiversity campus is earmarked for a site close to the town centre and has already received £9m from the Town Deal.

It would be delivered in partnership with Blackpool and the Fylde College and Lancaster University, with the aim of providing skills required by local and regional employers.

A report to a meeting of the Town Deal Board last November said total investment would be £85m on a one hectare site with capacity for 3,600 students.

It would see the relocation of the current Park Road site of Blackpool and the Fylde College.