New hope for delayed £50m Blackpool housing development

Social housing provider Great Places Housing Group is preparing to take over phase three of the £50m Foxhall Village.

Work stopped in October 2019 at the site in the heart of the resort when the original contractor Hollinwood Homes went into administration.

Planning applications have now been submitted to the council to discharge conditions linked to the original approval of the scheme granted in February 2019, including some amendments.

Documents submitted by architects Cassidy and Ashton say "Great Places Housing Group now intend to deliver the much-needed housing at this site."

Phase three of the development, on land between Rigby Road, Tyldesely Road, Princess Street and Blundell Street, includes 59 homes and 15 apartments.

The site was placed into the ownership of Blackpool Council in August last year by the administrators Price Waterhouse Cooper.

At that time the council agreed to work exclusively with Great Places Housing, which already owns 79 properties on the site, to kickstart building work.

A total of 193 of a proposed 410 houses had been built before Hollinwood Homes went out of business.

Following the handing over of the site to the council, it was expected to take a year to unravel the complexities of the project including checking the quality of work done on partially finished properties.

Foxhall Village was hailed as a flaship regeneration project when construction began in 2014.

The land was assembled by the council with the help of a £2.7m government grant, with failed guesthouses demolished to make way for investment.