Council aims high in Blackpool regeneration bid

  Blackpool council has launched a bid to buy Blackpool Tower and a number of the Lancashire seaside town’s major leisure attractions.   The council has offered to buy the iconic tower, as well as the town’s Winter Gardens, the Golden Mile Centre and Louis Tussards from entrepreneur Trevor Hemmings’ Leisure Parcs.   The sale is subject to the council obtaining the necessary funds.   It has bid for funding from the European regional Development Fund, which could be matched by a package of public funding.   The offer comes as a result of recommendations made in Manchester city council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein’s report on the regeneration of the town in the wake of its unsuccessful casino bid.   The report called for consideration to be made of private leisure assets within the resort and how they can attract funding to boost their regeneration.   It suggested that by bringing the landmarks into public sector ownership, they can benefit from allocations of heritage funding which is not available to the private sector.   The funding acquired for the sale would also cover the cost of capital works to renovate the attractions.   Leisure Parcs will continue to run the sites while a long-term plan for their redevelopment is worked up.   If the bid is successful, the transaction would have to be agreed by the end of the financial year.   A decision on funding will be made in January.   Councillor Peter Callow, leader of Blackpool council, said: “For a long time there have been questions asked of us as to what we can do to help the Winter Gardens and Tower and bring them in line with other regeneration activity in the town.   “They are two of Blackpool’s best assets and a highly significant part of our history that we must build on to secure our future.   “If we can access the extra funding, we can protect the public’s interest in them and turn these attractions into something that can last well into the twenty-first century.   “This is still at the very early stage of the process and there is a great deal of work that needs to be done to secure the funding but what it does show is the council’s ambition for Blackpool’s future.”   Doug Garrett, chief executive of urban regeneration company ReBlackpool, said: “The Tower and Winter Gardens have been attracting tourists to Blackpool for more than 100 years.   “By bringing them into public ownership we can ensure they benefit from the additional funding which may be available for their development and making them a platform for the resort to build on and around for the next 100 years.   “Given the potential funding which may be available, the time is right to take this bold step and acquire these assets – which can then underpin the overall regeneration programme for the town to deliver a 21st-century resort.”    John Denham, secretary of state for communities, said: “Blackpool is a seaside town close to the nation’s heart and securing its most iconic buildings is a vital part of its future.”   daniel.cunningham@estatesgazette.com