Blackpool approves £4m Revoe Community Sports Village

Not so lucky: Cygnet Healthcare’s proposals to expand its existing mental health facility by the Shrine of our Land of Lourdes.

Blackpool Council deliberated on a series of planning applications on Tuesday, opting to follow officer recommendations in giving the local authority’s own proposals the go-ahead and in rejecting the mental health facility.

Councillors also opted to defer the council’s bid to bolster its coastal defences by installing a series of rock groynes along the beach between Foreshore and Promenade.

You can learn more about each of the applications below.

Land between Seasiders Way and Central Drive

Developer: Blackpool Council

Architect/Planner: Cassidy + Ashton

Planning permission has been secured for the council’s £4m Revoe Community Sports Village, a scheme that Blackpool Council has already begun searching for a contractor to deliver.

The sports village would sit on 3.4 acres by the Bloomfield Road Stadium and contain two seven-a-side 3G pitches, a multi-use games area, and two padel courts.

The project team includes ReLandscape, Rachel Hacking Ecology, Spectrum Acoustic Consultants, Hermolle Associates, TPS, and Beech Jackson Partnership.

Learn more about the Revoe Community Sports Village plans by searching  26/0178 on Blackpool Council’s planning portal.

Newton House’s capacity would go from 21 patients to 35. Credit: planning documents

The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and 183 Newton Drive

Developer: Cygnet Healthcare

Architect:  Buttress

Planner: Planning Potential

Despite letters of support from the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and shrine custodians Historic Chapels Trust, councillors opted to reject Cygnet Healthcare’s plans to build two extensions on the former convent off Newton Drive and a covered link between that building and the shrine.

The scheme was refused for the following three reasons:

• Cygnet Healthcare did not adequately demonstrate that there was a locally generated demand for these hospital bed spaces
• The extension would significantly harm the Stanley Park Conservation Area
• The link between Newton Drive building and the grade two star-listed shrine would upset the symmetry of the site

If Cygnet had been successful, it would have built extensions on 183 Newton Drive, boosting the provision of 21 beds to 35. These beds would have been reserved for men receiving mental health rehabilitation treatment, with the 14 additional beds designed to provide long-term care.

Historic Chapels Trust had described the proposals as “one of the few remaining lifelines that are available to ensure the longevity of this very remarkable building”.

The project team included Mdlandscape, I-Transport, AMA, Arbtech, Ergo Environmental, and Landscape Agency.

You can learn more about the Newton Drive application by searching 26/0064 on Blackpool Council’s planning portal.

Jacobs is leading on the design of the coastal defences. Credit: via planning documents

Land at Foreshore and Promenade

Developer: Blackpool Council

Lead consultant: Jacobs Engineering

Councillors opted to defer their decision on the council’s plans to install 17 rock groynes on the beach in an effort to trap sand, retain the upper beach, and reduce the risk of coastal erosion. This was done to provide the local authority more time to work with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on the proposals – particularly the safety aspects.

A Blackpool Council spokesperson said: “We are committed to working closely with the RNLI and other local partners to improve public safety along our coastline. The planning committee report recognised the work already undertaken to mitigate safety concerns and acknowledged that the council has taken its duty to protect the public seriously.

“The Blackpool Beach Management Scheme is vital for protecting more than 4,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion, while helping to preserve Blackpool’s sandy beaches for future generations. The scheme will also help protect vital economic infrastructure and support the long-term sustainability of Blackpool’s visitor economy.”

If the scheme can secure planning permission, Balfour Beatty is already lined up to be the main contractor. The construction programme is expected to take 31 months and complete in June 2029.

You can learn more about the application by searching reference 26/0084 on Blackpool Council’s planning portal.