Work to start on £2.3m Blackpool Golden Mile Centre upgrade

The council announced in October it had struck a deal with leisure giant Merlin to bring a new entertainment centre to the venue on the Promenade as part of a £2.3m investment.

But the identity of the attraction is being kept under wraps while Merlin secures full property rights with its new partner, said to be a global brand.

However the new attraction is said to be themed around a popular children’s character and aimed at younger children.

A spokesperson for the council said it was not expected to be able to reveal full details until spring next year.

In the meantime work will begin on converting the premises ready for the new attraction. The building has previously been occupied by Graffiti Golf and a number of stalls, whose leases were due to expire at the beginning of this month.

The council will fund the £2.3m cost of the scheme by lending the money to Merlin, which will repay the money out of revenue from the attraction, before moving onto a profit sharing scheme with the council.

Blackpool Council bought the Golden Mile Centre in 2010 as part of a £40m deal which also included the Tower and the Winter Gardens, and advertised last year for a new operator for the site.

Merlin, which already works with the council to operate the Tower and other attractions including Madame Tussauds and the Blackpool Dungeons, was chosen following a tendering process.

Speaking in October Kate Shane, regional director for Merlin Entertainments, said the company was working with “some exciting global partnerships”.

Bringing these brands to the resort would “provide compelling new reasons for visitors to come to Blackpool.”

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