Blackpool Council has submitted an outline planning application for a £65m “multiversity” campus for Blackpool and the Fylde College.
The development comprises a five-storey building on Cookson Street which could bring up to 3,000 staff and students to the town centre.
The multiversity will be built by Blackpool Council, then leased to Blackpool and the Fylde College.
The proposed scheme will deliver up to 350,000 sq ft of education and commercial space across two phases, starting with the new multiversity building.
The campus is part of the £350m Talbot Gateway regeneration of the area around Blackpool North railway station.
Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “The multiversity will be a game-changing addition to Blackpool town centre and this is another exciting step forward.
“The Talbot Gateway is designed to support our plans to make Blackpool better, by bringing thousands of workers and students into the town centre, and creating an environment for local businesses to benefit from that huge increase in footfall, creating more jobs and opportunities for local people.
“The multiversity will also help improve the town’s skills base so that our local people can learn work-ready skills and gain university-level qualifications without leaving the town, while also offering a world-class education campus that will help attract people to study, live and work in Blackpool.”
Alun Francis, principal and chief executive of Blackpool and the Fylde College, said: “The multiversity will genuinely transform the opportunities for people in Blackpool and on the Fylde coast, helping to deliver a highly skilled workforce. It will combine the very best of higher education and technical and professional education in one campus, with the curriculum completely aligned with the growing opportunities across Lancashire and the North West.
“The multiversity aims to be the country’s first carbon-neutral higher education campus, and we fully intend it to be a landmark building as part of the redevelopment of Blackpool town centre. This is one of the best things to happen to Blackpool for a generation.”
The land for the new multiversity is currently being acquired by Blackpool Council, with the support of a £9m government grant as part of Blackpool’s Town Deal, which was awarded in March 2022.
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