Tide-proof beach opens for summer in Blackpool
A 180-metre-long beach made from 5,000 tonnes of local sand has opened on Blackpool promenade, offering visitors use of a soccer pitch, three volleyball courts and three beach basketball courts for the next six weeks.
The beach on St Chads headland, costing £45,000, was commissioned by urban regeneration company ReBlackpool and jointly funded by the North West Development Agency, Department for the Environment & Rural Affairs and the European Regional Development Fund.
Doug Garrett, chief executive of ReBlackpool, said: "This new beach will offer a unique opportunity to residents and visitors to enjoy the thrills and spills of beach volleyball, football and basketball regardless of whether the tide is in or out.
"We lose the beach twice every day because of the tides – but this new beach on the prom will put an end to that and allow people to play sports or relax in the sand as and when they want to.
"It is also a great way to utilise the new headlands on the seafront which have been part funded by the European Union."
The beach was created using sand skimmed from Blackpool's natural beach as part of a feasibility study into building something similar but more permanent in the future.
