Final approval nears for £50m Blackpool civil service hub
Spanning 217,000 sq ft, the office building is earmarked to house 2,500 government staff once complete.
Having granted outline consent for the project in March, Blackpool Council’s planning committee is to meet next week to give final approval to Muse Developments for the scheme.
It is understood that the £50m hub, designed by Make Architects, will be the new home for civil servants already based in Blackpool, such as the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Defence.
Leases on sites around the Fylde coast currently occupied by the DWP and MoD are due to expire soon.
Speaking in the House of Lords in 2019, Baroness Jo Valentine said the departments “could be combined in a proposed civil service hub for thousands of jobs, which would provide year-round footfall for the local high street”.
The seven-storey civil service hub would be constructed on a 2.4-acre site bounded by Deansgate, King Street, Cookson Street, Charles Street and East Topping Street.
The orange façade is intended to mirror that of Blackpool Tower. Credit: via planning documents
The £50m office is to be clad in orange ceramic inspired by the base of the Blackpool Tower, according to the architect.
The scheme is being delivered by Muse as part of the Talbot Gateway. The wider project team features Avison Young as planning consultant, Chroma as project manager, Hannan Associates advising on MEP, Reform as landscape architect, and Arup as structural engineer. Arup is also advising on fire and transport.
Cundall and Hannan are providing support on sustainability and Peter Connell Associates is the access consultant. RPS is on board as quantity surveyor.
The scheme is the third phase of the council’s Talbot Gateway town centre regeneration project that has already seen the completion of a 125,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s supermarket close to Blackpool North train station, and a 120,000 sq ft office development, No1 Bickerstaffe Square.
In addition, contractor Robertson is on site delivering a 144-bedroom Holiday Inn hotel on the site of the former Wilko store. Nearby, John Sisk & Son is working to link up the promenade tramway with Blackpool North train station, creating an interchange building and terminus.
The project is being delivered by Muse Developments as part of Talbot Gateway. Credit: via planning documents
What about parking for 2000 civil servants? No doubt that’ll be a nice little earner for the council
By Martyn
Parking?
By DaveDaly
Parking? There’s a multi-storey car park next door. There’s also the main railway station just down the road.
By SW
Think building like this should be ‘out of town centres’ for transport, parking reasons. Why not use the Norcross site?
By Anonymous
This is the ideal location for a hub like this, bringing activity and spend at lunchtime and after work into the town centre.
Transport links are excellent, with the railway station being 200 yards away, the new tram terminal being under the new Holiday Inn, and every bus in town using Talbot Road.
Any new car parking built will, no doubt, have spaces included within the rent for the office accommodation – just like other similar offices all over the country.
This is great news for Blackpool.
By AB
Hopefully the civil service management will ask for decent bike storage and shower facilities.
By Dirk Diggler
All council offices and civil service buildings should be on the outskirts of the town NOT prime building land in a holiday resort.
By Colin Davis
There are more than 2500 people at the aforementioned sites, travelling from far afield. Parking is not incorporated so will be reliant on a much improved transport infrastructure
By Me
This will boost the towns local economy it’s fantastic for Blackpool and local employment. Don’t worry about parking it’s about time people walked and used public transport instead of sitting in lines of traffic.
By Anonymous
I think this is great news can’t think of a better place to put it what with all the transport links. It will bring more money into the town and offer more work opportunities to the local economy. We’ll done the local council for diversifying the town.
By Karen Riddy
Hope they provide bike locks otherwise they will get nicked
By Dawn
As the world is moving to be greener people may have to consider other modes of transport. As we all know there is parking available across the road which has to be paid for which in turn may make people either car share or use other forms of transport to get to/from work.
Having this in town in my opinion can only be a positive for the town/traders.
There will be the new tram terminal by then, its near the train station and on bus routes.
This is good news for Blackpool and it also give some assurance to civil servants that they have a future with the department
By Anonymous
Parking is already an issue
By Anonymous