When Blackpool's new £1m overhaul of bus shelters will be completed and what's new

Meanwhile other shelters and being refurbished as part of a five-year rolling programme of improvements to the 250 shelters owned by Blackpool Council. After securing an initial £175k of funding from the Local Transport Plan (LTP), the Council has procured a contract with Euroshel to replace and repair damaged shelters.

Over the past few months, 14 new shelters have been installed across the bus network with a further eight to be completed over the coming weeks. That programme is being complemented by the upgrading of advertising opportunities in the bus shelter stock which has enabled the purchase of a further 20 new shelters, which should all be installed by Easter. Some of these new shelters will include digital advertising screens that will be used to generate additional income to maintain and replace shelters.

As part of the rolling improvement programme, it is anticipated that further allocations of £195k per annum will be secured over the next three years, creating the potential to replace around 15 shelters each year.

Councillor Neal Brookes, Cabinet Member for Enforcement, Public Safety, Highways and Transport, said: “We are committed to improving our network of bus shelters across the borough. He said: “A significant number of those that had fallen into disrepair have already been replaced and by accessing bus infrastructure funding allocations, there is the potential to invest almost £1m over a five-year rolling programme. There is a very significant investment being made in converting Blackpool’s bus fleet to electric vehicles and it is important that the standard of our network of shelters complements that investment.”

The investment is among a raft of priorities set out in the council's Local Transport Plan, which in February 2022 was allocated spending of £3.2m by the Department for Transport. One of the key aims is to encourage residents and visitors to travel by public transport. Bus and tram operator Blackpool Transport is owned by the council which has responsibility for maintaining infrastructure including bus and tram shelters across the town.