Documents submitted for £90m Blackpool housing regeneration

A detailed report setting out steps towards the £90m transformation of inner Blackpool has been unveiled as part of proposals which would see 400 properties bulldozed to make way for a modern neighbourhood.

A 344-page Environmental Impact Assessment has been submitted to Blackpool Council by London-based planning consultants WSP ahead of an outline planning application which is expected in autumn this year.

The ambitious scheme would see an area south of the town centre – including Foxhall Village – transformed if it goes ahead.

The council was awarded £90m in March last year from central government via Homes England to tackle squalid housing conditions in Blackpool where around a quarter of homes are deemed poor quality.

Redevelopment would see whole-scale changes made to an area between Chapel Street and Palatine Road to the north, Park Road to the north east, Westmorland Avenue to the south east and Rigby Road to the south.

The site extends up to the Promenade to the west and is split in half by Central Drive. It also includes Foxhall Village, which is a conservation area but where many properties have become rundown in recent years.

Currently the area is a mix of commercial premises, hotels and guesthouses to the west, leisure facilities and retail premises along the seafront and to the south of the site, and rows of terraced premises to the east.

It is proposed to demolish properties which are no longer fit for purpose and replace them with up to 280 bigger new homes. Consultation has been underway with residents, covering an area of 3,000 properties.

Once full plans are drawn up, they are also expected to include local shops, community halls, office space, leisure areas including for food and drink, outdoor public areas including children’s playgrounds and new roads.

Blackpool Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said: “I cannot emphasise enough how critical this regeneration scheme is for the town.

“The basic need for decent housing is so crucial for people in every way. The effect housing has on people’s health, wellbeing and life chances cannot be underestimated.

“We want people to love where they live. Residents have the right to decent, modern houses with good quality community facilities around them to access when they wish. This is how communities grow, stabilise and support one another.”

According to the English Housing Survey, 25 per cent of homes in Blackpool are deemed ‘non-decent dwellings’ compared to the national average for England of 16.7 per cent. One in every three private rented properties are judged not fit for habitation in Blackpool.

A compulsory purchase order could be used to acquire properties but the council is also working with the community to design local amenities such as green open spaces, safe places for children to play and a range of community facilities.

The new development is set to include social and affordable housing and will be built to the latest standards of space, building quality and sustainability.

The council says the three key objectives which will underpin the approach to the housing regeneration scheme are community, desirability and sustainability.

Coun Williams said: “The specific area of intervention has not yet been identified however, we are working with residents across the wider area that takes in nearly 3000 properties.

“We are engaging with them to help shape the options for the next stage decision about where this work will commence. A decision is anticipated in the coming weeks.

“Whilst this is an exciting opportunity to address some deep rooted and long standing concerns about the quality and density of housing in this area we also recognise that this will have a significant impact on people’s homes and businesses.”

Coun Williams the council would listen to residents when it came to making decisions about the scheme.

She added: “We are very aware that the prospect of change is worrying and unsettling for some people. There will be large scale change and transformation with this project and I know some people may find that difficult.”

The housing regeneration project is expected to take place over several years, and the documents submitted initially consider a number of environmental impacts including habitat, air quality, archaeology and climate risk as well as considering the scheme in context with local planning policies.

Coun Williams said: “This regeneration vision will take a long time but is very much needed. One in every three private rented properties are not fit for habitation In Blackpool and we must change this.

“I am really pleased we are taking another step forward towards the realisation of our vision to provide good quality homes in safe communities for the residents of Blackpool.”

Nearly 3000 homes within the broader regeneration area have been visited and asked to fill out a questionnaire and share their views.

A questionnaire is also available on the council’s website for people to give information and their views.

Drop in events will take place in the coming weeks and months and a formal consultation on the next steps is planned for later this year.