Blackpool History, Mystery, Heritage and Hauntings

  You may remember a most recent blog I did about Scrooges  https://juliettegregsonheritagephotographer.blogspot.com/2020/05/scrooges-closed.html Plans for new offices in Blackpool town centre move closer Town hall chiefs have revealed they are close to assembling a site for new offices to be built in Blackpool town centre. Properties have been acquired in the King Street area in preparation for phase three of the Talbot Gateway regeneration scheme. A report to the council’s executive says active negotiations are taking place “with an end user” which could lead to 20,000 square metres of office accommodation being built on a single site. Around 91 per cent of the necessary area has already been assembled, but councillors are being asked to agree for further negotiations to take place, and for preparations to be made to use compulsory purchase powers should that be necessary. The owners of Scrooges Wine Bar on Milbourne Street revealed last...

Robertson Construction has been given the go-ahead to start demolition work next week for phase two of Blackpool’s £100m Talbot Gateway city centre regeneration. This phase will see the town’s existing Wilko store torn down, the completion of the new tramway interchange at Blackpool North Station, a new underpass, a four-star Holiday Inn hotel and restaurant, and new retail outlets. Robertson Construction Group has been appointed jointly by Blackpool Council and development partner, Muse Developments to carry out construction work which is expected to take around two years. Dirk Pittaway, Managing Director, Robertson North West, said: “Both Blackpool Council and Muse Developments have shown real commitment and drive in continuing to progress the project during recent months. “Clear procedures, including social distancing, will be in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved on site.” Proposed Schedule of Works Demolition of Wi...

NEWS from the council website today !  Talbot Gateway/Tram Extension work to resume next week. Some good news as demolition of the Wilko store will commence next week (1 June) paving the way for the long awaited tramway extension to be completed. According to the council, the works schedule will be as follows: -Demolition of Wilko’s building, Talbot Road - June to December 2020 -Construction of the high street underpass - November 2020 to 30th April 2021 -Construction of the Holiday Inn Hotel - October 2020 to April 2022 -Tram extension and track completion - January to May 2021 We will strive to bring back our weekly updates series while maintaining current guidelines and social distancing measures. The following was posted -  The next phase of Blackpool’s town centre regeneration is set to get underway in the first week of June as contractors prepare to start on site at Talbot Gateway.  This phase of development...

It looks like work on the North Station extension will indeed resume next April. Council documents have confirmed that Wilko's lease expires then, so demolition will happen regardless of whether a new site for them is ready (presumably they will move to a temporary location). The full schedule looks like this: April 2020: demolition and start of works. March 2021: trams start run to a temporary terminus located where entrance to Wilko is now. First quarter of 2022: trams start to run to the final terminus next to the new underpass. Time to finally get this done so other projects are progressed in due course. and more ... I was in Town yesterday and on the roof taking shots of course - when I asked the chap who was running the car park he said March of next year -  also he would have to look for a new job. 

Regeneration specialist Muse is inviting bids to build a 142-bed hotel in Blackpool’s central business district. The Holiday Inn hotel, which will be located on the site of the current Wilkinson’s building adjacent to Blackpool North railway station, forms part of the second phase of Muse Developments’ and Blackpool Council’s £100m Talbot Gateway regeneration scheme.   The five-storey building will feature a restaurant, bar, conferencing facilities and ground floor shops. A temporary 127-space surface level car park and access improvements connecting the proposed new tram station and the railway station, also form part of the plans. The works require the demolition of the existing Wilko’s retail store currently occupying the site. Shortlisted firms will be invited to submit tenders in September with a view to work starting in Spring 2020. s a local authority Blackpool Council can’t just dig up the roads and build a tramway. An application f...