How Queens Park redevelopment transformed a Blackpool neighbourhood amid falling crime and improved health

It is now ten years since the Queens Park flats in Blackpool were demolished as part of a major housing-led regeneration project.

The flats had been iconic, but Blackpool Council said they were no longer fit for purpose. Health outcomes were low, crime was high and the tower blocks had their own police station. The area was ranked as the 138th most deprived neighbourhood in the country.

Residents had complained about draughty properties and anti-social behaviour, while the turnover of residents was almost double the local average. The council said it could not allow the area to fall into managed decline, and stepped in to demolish five high-rise blocks containing hundreds of flats, finding residents more appropriate places to live.

In their place, a new neighbourhood was created featuring 191 council-owned homes and apartments reserved for local people, providing secure tenancies and creating a new community. According to Blackpool Council, the difference today is stark, with crime falling and health improving.

In the last six years, crime reported to police in the area has fallen by more than 50%. The proportion of people in the area reporting that they were in good health also increased from 62% in 2011 to 75% in 2021.

In the latest government rankings, the neighbourhood was 573 places better off and moving in the right direction.

The neighbourhoods around it improved by more than 2,000 places. Blackpool Council says Layton is now a nicer place to live because of the changes made ten years ago.

The project forms part of the council’s model for housing-led regeneration, with the aim of building communities that people can belong to, be proud of and want to raise their children in, while making Blackpool better for the people who live there.