FOLLOWING THE news that the North West Development Agency are to cancel the £20 million funding pledge to the Blackpool Talbot Gateway, many questions are now being asked about what happens next to this vital area of Blackpool.
Blackpool Aloud has asked the three main Blackpool party political leaders for their thoughts on the project and what happens now, sadly Peter Callow has so far not replied to our request for his thoughts on the project, but Simon Blackburn leader of the Blackpool Labour Group and Douglas Green, Leader of the Blackpool Liberal Democrats have kindly given their thoughts for the readers of Blackpool Aloud.
Councilor Simon Blackburn said:
“I would be looking to make the most of what is there at the moment (given the fact that public sector funding has now, more or less dried up). During the manifesto consultation process, there was a considerable appetite for the bus station to be revamped, and use as (guess what) a bus station! We would also want to look at ways of linking up the train/tram/bus network, but with the caveat that it is difficult to see, in the present financial climate, where the finance might come from.”
Councilor Douglas Green said:
First of all, the Talbot Gateway project is not entirely dependent on Government funding, as we are informed, the project includes commercial buildings, including a supermarket in the centre of the town. However, I do not think the plan could go ahead without the funding, and the plan to put most of the Council services under one roof would then have to take a back seat. If they were all brought together, there would be a fair amount of Commercial property to let in the town.
The current plan, is in fact a scaled down from the project which would have seen the East side of Topping Street & the West side of King Street being redeveloped. Already there have been a realisation that the Central bus station, should not be demolished as it was over-engineered when it was built, and is a very strong building. The plans have been adjusted re-develop the building for other uses. The plan does include a new integrated bus & train depot.
The problem with any plan “B” is that the Council would also have to go to the Government to seek permission to borrow the money. The moneys that Blackpool has already borrowed in respect of the current re-development already mean that the residents owe more money per household, in corporate debt, than most towns and cities. Blackpool’s current borrowing is set to increase to £250 million. It should be appreciated; that Government approved borrowing is under-written by the Government. Therefore when big projects like “Building Schools for the Future” are coming under pressure, it makes it seem unlikely that the Talbot Gateway will proceed at anything like the scale projected.
We saw the danger that is a real threat to Blackpool, when the Casino project was cancelled. Businesses had bought up property, ready to develop, and then when the project was delayed waited for the go-ahead. The fact that the development never got the go-ahead meant that the town has suffered one set of planning blight. Is the town to suffer another blow?
The problem in Blackpool, is that it is not only the retail sector that has moved out, but also the town centre is losing all the professional services like solicitors, accountants etc to the various outlying business parks and commercial centres.
I suppose, the way forward, is to try and get more private developers to invest in the town. However, I would welcome suggestions as to what commercial private developers would invest in the centre of the town, where parking for employees is restricted.
Certainly we need to restrict the “Out of town centre” development, and try and put pressure on Government to restrict “Greenfield development” where ever possible. As this is not just a problem for our town. Instead Blackpool Council is concentrating on trying to block the Tithe barn project in Preston. Surely this must be a waste of Blackpool’s Council tax budget.
Whilst many will groan in disappointment at the thought of “gateway” in it’s present form remaining with the brutalism of the bus station and ugliness of the Wilkinson’s buildings and the general tastiness afforded to people arriving by coach or railway, however this should be a time when the whole town unites to take this time as opportunity to improve the area and make it the place that Blackpool and it’s residents and tourists deserve.
Rather than concentrate on the negatives, lets look at the positives about the area which should underline why with some investment the whole area will be a success for Blackpool. It’ contains Blackpool’s main railway station, is the main station for National Express coaches, is close to the Promenade and the town centre and is close to the heart of Blackpool’s gay community, these factors alone will guarantee the area’s strengths, it just needs the right buildings and public spaces to unite all those zones.
Tramline Extension
The best way of uniting them all is to extend the tramline from the North Pier to Blackpool North railway station, by linking up railway less Fleetwood and Cleveleys with a tram line to a major national railway station, some funding will become available from Lancashire County Council and a soft loan could be provided by the European Investment Bank just as it has for some of London’s building plans for Crossrail.
Private investment
Part of the present Talbot Gateway Plan is to attract a supermarket to the area, which still may be possible, with those good transport links there could be the potential for a developer to build office space or even to build a partnership with a firm like Sleeperz Ltd who have a contract with Network Rail to build hotels next to railway stations. Or work with a company like Esporta Ltd and build a sports centre and health club.
Sir John Bickerstaffe
Another alternative to funding would be to act in the sprit of Sir John Bickerstaffe and raise the money locally to build a building that would inspire and return a profit for it’s investors. Such a fund would need the support of the council, but each investor would be a shareholder and have a say in the the project. Shares could be brought from £1 to a £1000. Such a building for the project to work would need to capture people’s imaginations.
What ever happens doing nothing is not an option but we shouldn’t despair, this is a great opportunity for Blackpool and one if we get it right future generations will thank us for.
What would you like to see happen to this area, please comment below:
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I love all things Blackpool and am in the process of relocating myself and my company to Blackpool. 
Scrap the whole thing,start again
1) Have a tram/rail/bus transport interchange (Good idea Zim)
2) An multi function entertainments/sports complex,like the MEN arena;its outrageous that new council offices should be built etc.We need something thats different and will pull in crowds,new council offices are a waste of money,not needed,a classic case of feathering ones nest if you ask me.
Dont exepct Callow aka Fisher mark 2 to reply,hes clueless and remember he never cried for a plan B during the casino fiasco either.
Quite ironic that the mastermind behind this whole project has failed to come up with any comments about it.
Stellar article by the way, great to see the Liberal Democrats and Labour honchos embracing the site.
Brilliant article Zim, I think you’ve knocked the nail on the head here. It’s a shame Peter Callow has decided not to respond to the request, but from what the responses were from Labour and the Liberals, it goes to show that the gateway is critical for Blackpool to move forward. With £5 million being given to the Pleasure Beach and another sum to the Sandcastle Waterpark for new attractions, it makes me wonder if that money could have been put towards the gateway, providing a better long-term economy boost (and let’s face it a better looking inland North shore), that would do better than a park getting a new children’s park when there is already one available – Beaver Creek.
No!
Putting £5m into the Pleasure Beach and £2.5m into the Sandcastle is far better than wasting that money on the Talbot Gateway.
The Talbot Gateway benefits nobody. Not a soul.
Callow seems to think that building a supermarket there (note that nobody has said which brand of supermarket it is yet) is going to inspire a load of public sector investment. Where, dear god, is the logic?
The Talbot Gateway would benefit Blackpool in creating a transport interchange (sadly the present plans don’t include a tram stop but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen), at the very least it creates an improved area for people arriving to and leaving from Blackpool by public transport. At the moment the whole area creates a terrible and unfair impression of Blackpool and the Fylde to many visitors.
If anything, Blackpool needs two Gateway projects with the plan to revitalise two vital public transport areas, one around Blackpool North and the other around Blackpool South for Waterloo and Lytham Roads.
We need to restore Blackpool’s confidence that we saw with our Victorian forefathers like Sir John Bickerstaffe that nothing is impossible, so think big and lets work with some private companies that can deliver the changes that we need, at the very least we could bring a hotel and supermarket to this area and with the investment we could clad the Wilkinson’s building and answer the question finally about what to do with the bus station.
My personal long term aim and I make no bones about this is to push for the extension of the tram line down Talbot Road, it would give the residents of trainless Fleetwood and Cleveleys a connection to a major railway station and allow visitors by train and coach the ability to get to their hotels at ease. It’s a win win, everyone wins especially Blackpool.
I spoke to a manager of Blackpool Transport on friday, he said that the councils lack of being transport focused is shocking; and in a supposed destination town! He said that the fylde is the 11th most congested area in the UK.
There is your answer Zim.
Transport is the key to regeneration.
Not really.
People in Cleveleys and Fleetwood, like people in Blackpool, already have their connection to a railway station by road. Is there really such a demand from the coffin dodgers in Cleveleys for inter-city rail travel that would justify the £40m or so it would cost to link the trams up?
It’s all very romantic to imagine everyone trundling along in trams wearing their summer bonnets singing “I do like to be beside the seaside” but as soon as you even approach a feasibility case for that link, it becomes clear that it will never happen.
Blackpool North isn’t busy enough to justify it, and when you combine the popularity of Blackpool, the amount of people that come to Blackpool by train and the lack of electrification it’s easy to see why the many millions of pounds required to implement such a link will never be available.
It would make sense to me if they ran a tram line into an area of Blackpool first, so that residents can use them regularly and so they can generate an income.
It’s all very nice to suggest that if there were no cars we would all use trams, but this is pure fantasy on a grand scale because the tram line is nowhere near any medium or dense residential zones and the council is not brave enough to look at alternatives with a lower footprint such as monorails.
Further to that, are the elderly people in Cleveleys really going to want to lug their bags all the way into the centre in order to use a tram?
Well said Phil, I used to have high hopes for TG but those hopes have now faded because TG has just been constantly scaled back and put back plus the ugly eyesore bus station is being saved (I thought the whole point of TG was to demolish that glorified bus shelter!!!) and pretty much all the office space is public sector. I agree that TG doesn’t really benefit we Blackpool residents or visitors. I think Harold is spot on; build a proper transport interchange and develop the area maybe as a leisure/entertainment quarter. However I don’t feel Blackburn is in any position to point fingers. This is what Labourites always do, they happily hog credit for the good times and when things start going wrong its the Torie’s fault.
True enough, but in this case it’s hard to disagree with him.
Taking this project on it’s own, the council has had ample opportunity to scrap it yet continues on a bizarre mission across Blackpool determined to waste taxpayers money.
There’s no plan, no goal and they’re not setting out to achieve anything with the Talbot Gateway. It’s got a big cost attached to it but if you break it down to the bare bones it is not going to be the thing that regenerates the town.
Sure, that area does need large quantities of money spending on it, but I am really sceptical about whether a depressing concrete facade is the way to go. Yes, it would be an improvement on what’s there now but you coudl say the same about a large pile of excrement.
The only thing that would benefit locals is the supermarket, and you just know it’s going to be a Netto or Farmfoods or some other cheap and nasty one.
There’s nothing fun about the Talbot Gateway. Nothing new. Nothing engaging and nothing for local people. Four hotels. Great. A public sector office block. Whoopie-do.
I really fail to understand why these highly paid and supposedly experienced planning boffins at the council are all on board with this project. Where is the viability? What is the regenerative effect?
Axe it now! Get rid of that bus station and create a park. Wouldnt cost much and would be a much-needed green space in the town.
This council will be remembered for one thing: an absence of a strrtegic version for the town,when you look at the developemnent of say Coventry it really shows how useless they are.
The difference in approch and action is incredible.
Peiople need to wake up and see we have a very weak, inept council.
Amazingly, I’m not sure you’re right Harold. Whenever this project is called into question on the Gasjet, tons of commenters come out of the woodwork to express despair at the loss of our “key” project and the end of our “regeneration”.
You wonder what planet some of these people are on.
Yes Phil,they should take a look at other towns and cities,Coventry is a great example and you will easily see how poor Blackpool really is when you look at the wider picture.
These people are suffering from the same tunnel vision as the council, sadly.
Blackpools progress relative to other large towns say over a 100,000 population is truly abysmal.
A few strips of world class concrte and they thinks thats regeneration.
When you factor that Blackpool is primarily a destination town, then the lack of progress is unforgiveable.The TATBOT gateway isnt regeneration,a few offices and supermarkets is a joke,especially keeping that nuclear bunker aka bus station!
They still dont get it do they? We need that big unique attraction to START regeneration and that is still not on the cards,5 years after the casino farce,a casino is still something that fallow wants!! I have doubts about this snow dome,not because its the snow dome,but because of the council.This shower were part of the managed decline of Blackpool,the people dont realise that,what else can anyone expect from such talentless freaks?
If Blackpool is to thrive, Callow and co along with weaver,france,cavill, all have to go.
Theres never been a better opportunity for the oposition councillors to collaborate (alliance??) and to come up with their OWN plans and put them to the electorate.It doesnt matter if its labour or lib dem any more, its beyond political hue,this is about the survival of the town.An alliance between the lib dems and Simon Blackburn may be what is just needed???
The talbot gateway to what????
gateway to what?
piss stinking bus station?
supermarket?
Its title says it all, its a sick joke.
I’m loving the latest artists impression. As long as the Council continue to associate themselves with these ridiculous follies then Blackpool will remain a laughing stock. It is time, (as John Major famously said), to get back to basics. Sandcastle Water world is a good example of what can be achieved with good, professional management but it is the exception rather than the rule. I want to see our Council getting the potholes fixed, the dustbins emptied and the dog shit cleaned up before they start thinking they are International property developers.
Spot on Jon, the biggest obstruction to Blackpool’s regeneration and improvement is without doubt Peter Fallow/Callow and co; they have had their chance and proven themselves to be worthless, no vision, no ambition, and no courage; an empty headed fool, trying to rearrange concrete wheelchairs on the Titanic.
Callow has the intellect, charisma and political charm of a dribbling, dementure suffering failed primary school governor, coupled with the backbone of a snake, and is supported by his crooked sheeple who use taxpayers money to benefit their own private businesses through FOWLER play, whilst the streets are festooned with social degenerates lying in the gutter, scraping the dirt out of the potholes.
He’s a stumbling, mumbling embarrassment for the town,who along with his obscene,monstrous,repulsive hideous, prune/lizard skinned freak of a wife who has the sex appeal of Myra Hindley with smallpox, are hell bent on destroying Blackpool south station. Together, this noisome diabolical duo epitomise everything that’s wrong with this town: TOTAL, UNFETTERED, UNMITIGATED HUMAN DECAY.
Well I think you’re being mean to Mr Callow. At least he comes up with visions and he folds his arms reassuringly for the press to let you know he will get the job done. You can always swop him for John Coombes if you like – he’s got more free-time on his hands nowadays.
And if you don’t have him, just what did you have before? Blackpool has some good council officers as council officers go (well I’d pay them 10 times the amount I would Fylde’s).
That picture though – look at all that paving to get chewing gum on. Look at the lack of green space – no trees (except for those few really close to the buildings), no grass. Most people walking – yet a bus in the middle. Where is the green space for office workers and shoppers to rest on? Why is the concrete seating facing that way? Where’s a space to put a large screen tv up for major events or even space for concerts when the offices are closed? (wouldn’t that Blackpool picture be the perfect place with seating facing it?) Where’s the public art projects? Where’s the design been thought out so that you get a clear view towards the tower or even the sea if possible? Where’s the water feature to make it seem relaxing even though it’s bustling? It’s this sort of thing that attracts people and their investment money. This is a glass-fronted but poor version of what every major city and many towns already have. And it manages to make it look like a concrete jungle no-one would want to be part of.
You have to remember that a core principle behind the Talbot Gateway is the dreaded “Shared Space” which has blighted Blackpool for over a year now.
Maybe they’re making it a bit easier for suicidal locals – no longer do they need to climb to the top of the bus station and jump off – just walk around the Talbot Gateway until the chaos theory strikes and a bus ploughs into you.
What I want to know is how Talbot Road Bus Station and Wilkinsons always manage to avoid being on these artists’ impressions, even though they will be there no matter what.
As you mention, Blackpool is crying out for some green space and the Talbot Gateway could have provided that welcoming facade, but instead it’s going to try and mimic Gotham city with an overload of tall, light-blocking, concrete monstrosities.
How do you “share” space with a tram? Surely they still need tracks (I realise I’m no expert on the subject but they all seem to have them). Unless there are new “hovver trams” – at least it would be a talking point though I imagine they would be a bit buffeted with the wind and a little dangerous. I thought I’d be in favour of this until I saw the drawing. Things usually look better on the plans – so this would have looked absolutely terrible. No wonder private investors aren’t flocking to the Council pledging their money.
Why Talbot “Gateway” by the way? What’s it a gateway too? Depression?
There aren’t any trams in the Talbot Gateway. They keep suggesting that a link to Blackpool North is an option, but, and you can quote me on this in 2025, it will not happen. Even self-confessed tram boffins have admitted that it is not viable.
As for sharing space with a tram, I guess you share space with them as they kind’ve do in Manchester, unless that doesn’t count as shared space.
I suppose you can add oil stains to the chewing gum stains as well. Half cut tourists are bad enough at falling under buses in the road – imagine what will happen in a shared space.
Just been outside the town hall, the pavement is caked in chewing gum;atrocious.
Really good to see that Birkenhead can go for a major 30 year development.
Will it be finished before Blackpool start a Plan B ?.
May the council need to talk to Peel Holdings to find out how they do it !
The thing is though, Mr Callow is not really behind TG. The Liebour lovers on the Gasjet are always keen to claim credit for TG with Jack Croysdill ridiculously once citing Fisher as the man who ‘masterminded the regeneration of Blackpool’. I am personally not a huge supporter of it myself because it has been scaled back beyond belief and I am now at a point where I think ‘Is there any point in actually doing it?’. I agree with Harold we should just ditch it and get a proper project in its place. Why couldn’t we pull in a major player like Peel, Grosvenor or Donald Trump? Someone who would actually make things happen.
Peel are so over-focussed at Trafford at the moment, that they are not giving the rest of the North West a second look. With them planning to launch a new ‘Peel Energy’ site in Manchester next year, they will be looking to the big cities for investment, and not places like Blackpool or Preston for instance. In fact, you’d probably have more chance of Donald Trump investing!!
Because the site isn’t attractive enough to them. Why does Donald Trump do anything? To add more zeroes to his bank balance, right? So why would he want to put his cash into a project with no scope for making profit?
The only things in this scheme that could generate profit are four hotels and a supermarket. Trump probably does hotels. But he would look at this plan and ask the key question: who is going to stay in them?
Would it be people coming for a conference? No. Would it be people coming for business? No. Would it be people coming for a holiday? No.
People like Trump might be interested if the council had approached him and said here’s some land, you can have it for some obscenely low price, do what you like with it. Except they didn’t.
Donald Trump,now you are talking!
Has Herr Callow written to Mr Trump,pointing out that Blackpool has land that could be usefull to him?
A tram line to North Station would be a good link for the new all year round super trams. I do amitt that this will cost a lot of money and it is only the distance of say one ‘super tram’ stop. Talbot road used to be the heart of Blackpool when ‘fine fare’ opened in 1979 and the new one way system at the time. I am told that the old North Station site now Wilskinsons was ear marked in the 1970′s as the New Municipal bus staion. It never happend. An old variety comedian Dave Morris from the 1950′s is quoted as saying “Blackpool Council is the best council money can buy” I don’t know whether that is true or not, but it is a great pity that the Talbot Gate way has become the Talbot Ghetto over the past 5 years.
I don’t think a tram link-up from Fleetwood/Cleveleys to Blackpool North would be financially viable. But we are losing a trick in not getting people from all over the country to visit Blackpool via the train network. It’s fairly easy to get to Preston – then you have to wait, wait and wait some more to get on a very dirty overcrowded train with yobs swilling from cans and throwing them on the floor around you. And then we need link-ups in transport once everyone’s got to Blackpool North. Buses would be fine but they need to have better information available more easily about what you should catch, how often they are and get attractions and hotels to put what stops people should be heading for to get to them (which they often don’t). Get the buses to take you directly to a tram stop if the trams aren’t going to link to the station.
As much as it pains me to say it, a tram link to North Station just wouldn’t work or be viable. For starters, look at the current tram service – pretty much journey is delayed and lots are being turned short – even when on time! Who’s going to invest in that? Assuming you could get the investment, how will it pay it back just running up Talbot Road? It’s practically one stop and would make timetabling difficult without both a loop at North Station and a double-track triangular junction. Unneeded cost! There are no doubt other routes that could be investigated – further inland beyond North Station or sone form of inland line diverging further north on the existing tramway – didn’t the original North Station route diverge near Gynn Square? Indeed, you could still include a junction at Talbot Square and run down Talbot Road, meaning trams could go via North Station or the North Prom, for example, or even loop round and do both cutting out the North Pier-Starr Gate section. But, alas, you still need to attract the patronage on the current line – how do you think the Metrolink in Manchester is getting so much attention!
However, I still maintain that the best option is reopening the Fleetwood line – and not necessarily by Network Rail. A few hundred quid, lots of volunteer time and cooperation/sponsorship from NR and local businesses and you could so it yourself – perhaps something for Blackpool Aloud to advocate? Lease the line off NR, clear and reinstate it (Probably minus a network link initially), acquire/invite some rolling stock owners to base their stock there and run a commuter service coupled with heritage operations to bring in the money. Eventually you could buy the line off NR and reinstate the connection, possibly in connection with an Open Access operator. It sounds expensive, but similar lines have sold for £1 – no word if a lie – so it can be done… Food for thought!
You arent seriously suggesting PWRS run that line?
They are a local joke, made of vacuum headed anoraks,who couldnt run a hot bath.
Sure reopen the line but not by a bunch of amateur Trumpton retards, who are only fit to be ridiculed;thats why NR wont let them have that line cos they arent fit to play trains on it.
The Gazette is supposed have said that NR wont reopen the line, in an article a few weeks ago, can anyone confirm?
I never referred to any organisation in my post, and perhaps naively I wasn’t aware that there was one! My apologies for making it sound otherwise if that was the case.
I’ve got a broad view of the railway preservation movement and have been involved with some of the best and some of the – including probably the – worst, which is very similar to how I envisage this line/group would be run/are. They’re (just about) exceeding, though are playing with steam this weekend… I’m glad I’m out of the country, everyone expects the boiler to go bang!
As I say, this could be something that Blackpool Aloud could advocate, with some proper brains and backing from residents and those in the know.
Fair enough Jack, like you I want to see the line reopened;its just that PWRS are the last people who should do it.If NR thought they were good enough,PWRS would have had that line years ago, insted of removing weeds, which is what they have really done, allbeit with petty criminal labour, lol
There is nothing I would like more than to be proud of my local town, it’s history being so prolific, however now the only emotions it conjures is one of great sadness. The regeneration is a joke. I can imagine the council members being sat around a huge table in the town hall, pondering over what to do to save the town, and after a long pause, one of the gravy trainers saying “I’ve got it! I’ve got an idea that will bring jobs, visitors and new look to the town! Build the world’s biggest disco ball on South Shore!”
Cynicism aside, ideas for the Talbot gateway to include a supermarket is an embarrassment. The last thing the town needs is another cheap nasty supermarket. Is yet another one in a new MDF building really going to be any better than the Wilkinsons already there? And the idea for more hotels is ludicrous. I think we can all be in agreeal, that the last thing Blackpool needs is yet more hotels. In a town with rapidly declining visitor numbers, surely any new hotels will just be empty most of the time and put other struggling, hard working, local hotel owners out of business. What the town needs is attractions. Forget all this nonsense about a supermarket. The council seem to be forgetting that Blackpool is a tourist town, and that its economy rests on whether the Jones family from Oldham decide to ‘have a change’ and come to Blackpool for the weekend. So then surely, we must focus on making Blackpool a place people want to come and visit. What planet are these councillors on, thinking that a supermarket on Talbot road will revitalise the area? The Talbot gateway is a big dead space, we need something new, an attraction to match the efficiently run Sandcastle and Pleasure Beach. A snowdrome, casino, concert arena, something big new and exciting that will draw people to the town. A big new attraction like that will increase visitor numbers and the knock on effect to local business and enterprise would be enormous. At the very least knock down the bus station and Wilkinsons and create a green area. In a tourist town aesthetics are everything, and currently, it seems to me more like the Talbot getaway, than a thriving, 21st century tourist town.
Well summed up YBR,Blackpool council have no idea,Callow has to go.
a poxy supermarket, Jesus wept,pathetic.
Absolutely excellent comment YBR, I couldn’t agree more. We don’t need supermarkets and council offices we need attractions that put us on the map and prove why Blackpool is a 100 times better than Preston. Hopefully we will be getting a snowdome on the Central Station site and a feasibility study is currently underway. I like Harold’s suggestion of building an MEN/Echo type arena on Talbot Gateway that would actually benefit residents and visitors alike.
And the idea for more hotels is ludicrous. I think we can all be in agreeal, that the last thing Blackpool needs is yet more hotels.
No, we can’t all be in agreement.
Blackpool does need more quality hotels – something we’re desperately lacking in. We still have an enormous over-supply of sub-standard accommodation run by hobbyists and people with a low business accumen.
I for one would welcome an Ibis or a Premier Inn around the town centre.
On the subject of a supermarket, I can only imagine that the town centre would already have one if there was a need or the likely success of one. We’ve already had four on the Talbot Gateway site and all four were sold on or closed down. Will shoppers be flocking to a future town centre supermarket to get tangled up in council-generated congestion? I can’t see it, myself.
The council seem to be forgetting that Blackpool is a tourist town
I think the problem with the council is the opposite – they involve themselves too much in the macro-management of the town’s economy. The council’s approach appears to be that they are a tourism organisation first and foremost, and a borough council second.
Given their track record in regeneration so far, do those calling for an enormous conference/ events venue really want the council to weave their magic with such a project?
I’d be very much against such a thing. It might look pretty, but would it work? Ask yourselves, for the £xxx million that it would cost and the land that it would take up to do it properly, is it making the most of that opportunity? Could it fill to capacity with a high occupancy of events? Could it ensure repeat business? There are many places that have tried the ‘conference and events venue’ panacea previously and failed miserably, being left with an expensive white elephant to pay for and operate. Let’s not be one of them.
We should be striving to get Blackpool back towards a position of being an attractive prospect for investors and businesses by standing on its own feet – not a parasite sucking on the taxpayer’s tit.
All hail Sir John!
Aww, shucks!
There is a letter in tonights Gasjet from an Autistic society calling for such conference facilities and in addition the EDL could use a conference centre instead of having to march along the sea front, lol
Excellent comment John Bickerstaffe. I agree there is a massive surplus of sub-standard hotels in Blackpool, what we need is quality. I also agree on the conference centre. I have said myself many times a stand alone conference centre would be a white elephant I feel. People seem to think, build a conference centre and suddenly the political parties will come rushing back. It would also offer no benefit to residents or visitors. What we need is a multi-purpose events venue like the Liverpool Echo to attract big name acts and events. That would actually benefit local people and visitors.
I wouldn’t say all the regeneration isn’t good. In fact it’s the Talbot Gateway that seems the really bad idea and all the rest does have good points. It’s hard to attract any other business when let’s face it 99% of Blackpool’s land mass is probably already built on. The artwork on South Prom is actually quite good – but I think you do need the guide to understand it properly and they didn’t put the info on notices next to the artwork, you have to pick one up from Solaris IF you know it exists. Supporting the Pleasure Beach, Tower complex and Winter Gardens is again probably a very good thing too. The lights in the centre are quite good.
Blackpool’s problems stem from so many issues. Too many people with no work for them. Too much housing to attract every benefit claimant that remembers liking coming to Blackpool for their holidays. Too many B&Bs for people to spend their redundancies on – with no knowledge of the hotel sector, nor much idea what sort of standard others are offering elsewhere for the same money. No room to build new businesses on – and therefore very high prices compared to elsewhere before the coastal location premium’s added. Poor transport links for a town dependent on it to get their main source of income (tourism) in (also connected to the land mass built on already).
In contrast to my previous damning statement, I do honestly believe Blackpool is no necessarily completely doomed.
Having worked in the Opera House for a few years, it’s clear to see that people will still come to Blackpool. When quality (or should I say more mainstream, popular) shows come to the Winter Gardens, like Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, Russell Brand, Elbow, Paul Weller, Jimmy Carr etc etc the place is absolutely packed. Having to rip all these people’s tickets and serve them ice creams etc, you honestly hear every regional accent, surely meaning that alot of the audience have travelled from all over the country, assumingly to make a weekend of it.
This clearly shows that people will come to the town, if there is quality people will use it, this surely should be an incentive to the council to drop the shite that’s on 90% of the time, and now that they own pretty much every live venue in the town with the tower, piers and winter gardens to try and make sure they have A list acts, as people will come to the town from iles around to see them.
There is of course the question why would such successes come to a town with such a reputation for being, quite frankly, awful. This has only come about in the past 20 years, i’m sure with the right investment and as i mentioned before an emphasis on aesthetics, more and more quality acts will want to come to Blackpool, the knock on effects being enormous. With the new sea wall as well (which i have to say looks great, and is proof that the council can do something properly, Cleveleys for example looks fantastic) i’m sure it wouldn’t be too much of a task to have open air gigs etc. This also might bring a bit of culture to an otherwise void of culture. It’s such a shame to see such beautiful theatre’s like the Grand playing host to some utter shite.
Another discussion of what would turn Blackpool around we need this and that lets build away and Blackpool will be top again. One thing we can all agree on none of this will happen without private investment it would be simply unfair for rate payers to foot all the cost. So how does Blackpool get these private investors? Well it sad but true to say serious investors only invest in dynamic areas and Blackpool today isn’t in any shape or form dynamic. So what Blackpool council need to do is make some brave choices and some of these choices will fail and some will cost a lot of money for little or no return. It does make sense for Blackpool to reduce hotels (guesthouses) it is simply supply and demand. If demand stays the same and supply drops the remaining hotels can charge more money for rooms and then rather then just charging enough to live they can charge more and hopefully put some of the profit back into the hotel. This does have to be done Blackpool doesn’t need to get more press about how bad its hotels are. The council do need to dig into the pockets and start seriously improving Blackpool they need to take gambles and not worry about short term profits. I think the idea of the TG being forgotten and the massive car parking land across the road from the station being turned into a park is great. Now there are problems with this. Traffic would have to be redirected there would have to be a security presence 24 hrs and they would have to be careful of what is put in there so it doesn’t take over from Stanley park buts complements it. This will take some money but can you imagine the young family getting of a train and seeing a child friendly park straight in front of them and the kids saying “can we go there” as the old saying goes you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. We have the WG which can be gutted and anything could be put in there and again short term profits shouldn’t be an issue it should be viewed as a way to generate interest in Blackpool. We should have a conference centre every resort does so Blackpool should but Blackpool should be careful of who uses it (this is nothing to do with political views) Blackpool does not need the publicity of right wingers fight left wingers in its streets its just bad press and the old saying “any press is good press” is not true. This is the time for the council to invest (with the recession private investors will not) and when the recession ends Blackpool would be in the ideal position to go to these investors and say “ we are ready to burst into life invest in us and see the profits role in”.
Having said all this its not going to happen Blackpool council isn’t that brave.
Great comment Jason. You’re right, it’s not that brave, and according to Cllr Callow it has no money.
Unless you’re the Pleasure Beach or Sandcastle.
Well I have just read that the Talbot Gateway has now been axed down to two hotels from four!
http://philtheone.com/2010/08/theyve-scaled-it-back-again/
This is why callow has to go,the rate of regeneration here is terrible.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-10848815