Storm Boelo blew our roof off and caused £100,000s-worth of damage, so we might open a rooftop bar instead
“It would give us a niche in the area, and bring something a bit different to the other streets”
The owner of an iconic Blackpool bar has revealed plans for a new rooftop terrace after Storm Boelo ripped the roof off his building over the weekend.
Nick Pritchard, owner of The New Philly bar on Foxhall Road, hinted towards the ambitious project earlier this week after high winds ripped the roof off his venue on Saturday night.
According to Nick, the weather-related incident caused major structural damage, with repairs expected to cost ‘hundreds of thousands’ of pounds. As a result, it could prove cheaper to build a rooftop terrace than replace the roof.
“At the minute, we've got builders just making it safe, so there’s nothing that will blow off,” Nick explained. “We've had to remove all of the existing roof that was left and shore everything up, and then we’re going to put a temporary roof on to stop any water ingress coming in.
“We are obviously closed at the moment, and we don’t know when we can reopen. It’s half-term at the minute, which makes it more costly as this is our busy time of the year.”
The New Philly’s roof has suffered damage in the past; in 2020, the bar suffered major damage and was forced into a long-term closure during Storm Ciara. Nick thinks that the issue around wind damage, which is caused by the location of the building, will never go away.
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That’s why he is contemplating plans to install a new terrace in place of the old roof. Nick added: “It’s a serious concept. Because of the high, 80/100mph winds we get, I think the easiest way forward could be to put a terrace in.
“If we are ever going to do it, then it would be now. Our next steps are to get a structural engineer in to assess the damage. Once we know all of that, we can see what we are going to do and look at getting planning (permission) in.”
A rooftop terrace would offer a new USP for the New Philly, and might help to set them apart from the close competition in Blackpool.
Nick is acutely aware of what a rooftop terrace could bring and is hopeful for the idea. He added: “The views are absolutely fabulous up there, you can see everything because we are three floors up.
“It would give us a niche in the area, and bring something a bit different to the other streets”