Blackpool lodges plans for 230-home renewal project
Three hundred poor-quality homes within the council’s Central Housing Regeneration Area are to be demolished and replaced with fewer, better dwellings in a bid to improve living standards in one of the most deprived areas of the country.
Blackpool Council has submitted a hybrid application that proposes clearing 13-acres around Central Drive dominated by sub-standard housing – 74% of which does not meet decent homes standards – and delivering a mix of terraced houses and apartments in buildings up to four storeys with between one and four bedrooms.
The council is in the process of acquiring the homes within the phase one red line through negotiations with landlords and owner-occupiers. To do so, the authority is putting more than £90m of Homes England funding to work.
Some £55m will be spent on acquiring and demolishing existing properties on Ashton Road, Central Drive, Chadwick Street, Erdington Road, Grasmere Road, Harrison Street, Kent Road, Montrose Avenue, Princess Street, Rigby Road, Rydal Avenue and Salthouse Avenue.
As well as homes, the regeneration project features plans for a local centre and improved public realm.
Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “People have been telling us for decades that we need to do something about Central Drive and the surrounding area – and this is exactly what we plan to do.
“Our major regeneration plans are aimed to make the area somewhere people want to raise their children in because of quality homes, nice streets and play areas, reduced crime, lower energy bills and more jobs.”
- Credit: via Blackpool Council
- Credit: via Blackpool Council
Williams also sought to allay local concerns.
“This isn’t about gentrification – it’s about creating a better area for Blackpool people to live in. I want that to be quality social housing for local people,” she said.
“I completely understand that this is difficult for residents who are now looking to move but I want to reassure everybody that there is a full support team to help them find somewhere suitable to live and be compensated for the disruption. If that involves staying local, then we will try everything to make that happen.”
“We have been given a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to transform one of the areas most in need of regeneration in Blackpool. The area is the third most deprived in the country and doing nothing is not an option.”
The project team for the scheme includes WSP on planning and Levitt Bernstein on design. Cushman & Wakefield and RLB are also advising.
To learn more, search for reference number 26/0306 on Blackpool Council’s planning portal.
