South Shore fire leaves gap on Blackpool high street as MP pushes for investment
Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has taken the case for urgent investment in South Shore directly to the Chancellor after a devastating fire tore through one of the area’s main high street sites.
Webb met Chancellor Rachel Reeves at 11 Downing Street on Monday, just days after a major blaze destroyed the Smart Mart furniture shop on Waterloo Road - a prominent building in the heart of South Shore.
“The fire on Waterloo Road is a real blow for South Shore. This was a prime site right in the heart of the high street and it’s only made the area’s future more fragile.
“Investment was necessary before – now it’s urgent,” Webb said.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said 15 fire engines, two aerial ladder platforms, a drone unit and a command support unit were called to the commercial building fire shortly before 11.30pm on Friday.
Crews used breathing apparatus and ground monitors to tackle the blaze and remained at the scene for four days.
Demolition work is now under way, leaving another gap on a high street already struggling with long-term decline.
South Shore contains some of the most deprived communities in the country, including the most deprived ward nationally.
Webb had already secured agreement in Parliament last month for talks with the Chancellor about regeneration plans before the fire struck.
Since his election, the MP has been pushing for national backing for a council-commissioned South Shore masterplan aimed at reversing years of decline.
During Monday’s meeting he presented the plans and argued for sustained government investment.
He said the Chancellor was “receptive and sympathetic” and understood the scale of the challenge facing the area.
“I’m confident that the message about South Shore has now been heard at the very highest levels of government and I’m hopeful that action will follow,” he said.
The meeting follows months of lobbying by Webb, who has brought several senior Cabinet ministers - including the Prime Minister - to Waterloo Road and Bond Street to view conditions in South Shore first-hand.
Alongside the council masterplan, a community-led People’s Plan has proposed 47 actions covering housing, safety, employment, youth services, retail and public spaces.