Read more about the town’s major regeneration projects
Two billion reasons to invest in Blackpool.
Blackpool is undergoing a major regeneration at the moment, led by Blackpool Council’s Growth and Prosperity team.
The Growth and Prosperity programme is committed to improving Blackpool’s economy, creating more jobs and supporting a vibrant private sector economy.
But what exactly is it?
The £2bn programme started back in the late 2000s, when major regeneration took place around Blackpool’s main leisure assets, The Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens, seafront Promenade and famous tramway. A major overhaul was designed to support and increase the visitor economy and create jobs, leading to the 20m annual visitors that now come to Blackpool, creating an economic impact of £1.7bn.
Since the last decade, over £1bn worth of regeneration has taken place, with another £1bn of projects nearing completion, or under way. All the current projects are working hard to make Blackpool better for residents and businesses, and are already having an impact.
These current projects revolve around three themes:
- Town centre regeneration.
- Extending the tourism season.
- Creating new jobs in growth sectors.
Town Centre Regeneration
Talbot Gateway
A £350m redevelopment of the area surrounding Blackpool North train station, in partnership with Muse Developments, is creating the town’s major Central Business District.
Once complete, over 8,000 employees and students will have been brought into the town centre. It includes: Grade A offices, flagship a Sainsbury’s superstore, brand-new Holiday Inn hotel, Marco Pierre White restaurant, Civil Service Hub, Multiversity campus, multi storey car parks and various retail and leisure units.
Phase One
Completed in 2014, the first phase of the Talbot Gateway saw an £80m project consisting of a new Grade A office, for Blackpool Council, as well as retail and education space.
The work also includes a Sainsbury’s food superstore, a renovation of a 600 space multi storey car park, along with ground floor leisure space, along with a new public square and improved highways.
Phase Two – Holiday Inn hotel, Marco Pierre White restaurant and transport interchange
The second phase of the Talbot Gateway was completed in May 2024 and connects Blackpool’s main train station with the famous tramway, creating sustainable travel.
The 144-bed four star Holiday Inn hotel, complete with a Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurant. The nearby underpass connecting the train station and tramway, is host to five retail units which are available for occupancy.
Phase Three – Civil Service Hub
The biggest commercial build in the town since The Blackpool Tower and the £100m will bring over 3,000 civil servants into Blackpool town centre once complete.
The BREEAM Excellent, 215,000 sq ft space will provide a Grade A new home for employees, providing a major economic stimulus into Blackpool’s town centre, and changing the skyline forever.
Phase Four – Multiversity
The £65m town centre skills campus will be home to up to 3,000 students and staff in the heart of Blackpool’s town centre.
The Multiversity, which will deliver qualifications ranging from further education to higher education and adult learning, uses £40m from HM Government’s Levelling Up Fund plus £9m from Blackpool’s Town Deal.
Planning consent for the project was granted in April 2024, with land assembly well under way.
The main campus building would be designed to be carbon-neutral in operation and offer more than 70 individual courses, supporting Blackpool’s future skills needs.
The Edge
Located in the heart of the town centre, the renovation of Stanley Buildings will transform the an old heritage bank into a fresh and lively business hub for start-ups and growing small businesses to operate.
The £7.5m upgrade to the 100 year old Stanley Buildings is preparing it for a modern new existence as a town centre business hub when it opens in 2025. It will have 44 new offices and meeting rooms, and ground floor co-working spaces.
The development was awarded £4.5m as part of Blackpool Town Deal and £200k from UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Houndshill Town Shopping Centre and The Backlot Cinema and Diner
Blackpool Council acquired Houndshill Shopping Centre and it aims to revitalise Blackpool’s retail market.
It includes a new anchor tenant in Frasers, Flannels and Sports Direct and over 5 million footfall per year, along with a new extension of The Backlot Cinema and Diner.
A £21m expansion to the shopping centre, the Backlot Cinema and Diner is a new, exciting addition to the town featuring a 9 screen, 850 seat, 40,500 sq ft IMAX-ready multimedia cinema complex and one of the largest IMAX screens in the country.
It’s also host to a 100-seater diner where there’s something everyone can enjoy.
Abingdon Street Market
Abingdon Street Market has been recently transformed into a thriving food hall and independent retail area.
Operated by a local Blackpool company, the market boasts seven round the world food areas, two bars, a coffee unit, independent retail stalls and a community space.
The project received £3.6 million from the UK Government through the Getting Building Fund, £315,000 through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and £90k through the Historic England Heritage Action Zone programme.
Winter Gardens Conference & Exhibition Centre
This £30m venue sits within the Winter Gardens complex and is able to host up to 7,000 delegates. The 26,000 sq ft centre is set over two floors and was officially opened by the Prime Minister in March 2022. Since opening, over 55,000 delegates have made use of the site, expanding Blackpool’s business conference options to new sectors such as e-sports and medTech conferences.
Plans for an adjoining 266 room secure hotel are currently in development.
Further developments include:
- A new £40m courthouse ready for construction and opening in 2026
- £121m of capital funding to improve transport throughout the town
- £90m Levelling Up to improve housing in inner areas of Blackpool
- Quality Corridors programme investing £7.8m to improve 40 properties and shop fronts
- Heritage Action Zone investing £1.25m to improve shop fronts and create live/work units in the town centre for local artists
- High Street Accelerator fund to regenerate Abingdon Street and Queen Street
- Town Centre Access Scheme to improve highways around the town centre.
Extending the Tourism Season
Blackpool Central
This is a key development project across a 5 hectare site in the shadow of The Blackpool Tower and one minute’s walk from Blackpool Promenade. It uses £40m Levelling Up Fund and £6.95 Town Deal funding to clear the former police station and HM Courts Service.
Enabling work has been completed with a new 1,306 space multi storey car park open. Full planning permission has also been granted for a new food and drink hall, an updated heritage quarter including five storey aparthotel, food hall and retail space. Outline planning permission is in place for three indoor theme park buildings, new hotel and new public realm.
Showtown Blackpool
Blackpool’s first museum celebrates the town’s role in developing and supporting British popular entertainment.
The £14.2m scheme opened in March 2024 and includes six gallery spaces over 1,000 sqm, including themed spaces celebrating Blackpool’s history as the home of ballroom dancing, 80 years of visits to the seaside, a history of circus and magic, and the famous Illuminations.
Abingdon Street Post Office
A boutique new four star, 150 room hotel refurbishing the Grade II listed former post office is part of a £26m project. It uses £8m of Levelling Up Funding and will feature a ground floor restaurant and bar plus rooftop terrace.
Blackpool Illuminations
Major upgrades to the world famous Illuminations by developing new features and technology for a greener, more sustainable approach which can shine longer and increase the economic impact.
Using £4.5m funding from Blackpool Town Deal, the annual Lightpool Festival is creating more economic spend and increase footfall to the town.
Revoe Community Sports Village
This development uses £6.5m funding from Blackpool Town Deal and a £10m+ investment from Blackpool Football Club and focuses on the regeneration of the Revoe area. It will create new sports pitches and facilities for community use and private sector investment in Blackpool FC’s stadium and public realm.
Jobs in Growth Sectors
Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone
One of the largest enterprise zones in the UK, Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone will transform Blackpool and the Fylde’s economic base over its 25-year lifespan, positioning itself as a premier business location in the North West.
The Council has committed £56m to deliver essential infrastructure to unlock sites, kick-start development and attract investment to meet occupier demand. 2,500 jobs out of a 5,000 target have already been created and a number of businesses have relocated to the Zone.
The Enterprise Zone includes a range of developments throughout the site, as well as creating a desirable more for growing businesses.
Eastern Gateway
The eastern gateway to Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone is being opened up, creating 10.5 hectares of commercial employment land. A new highway to access the land is also under way, and plots will be available from summer 2025.
This includes developments plots up to 30,000sqm in size, with a live Expression of Interest for developers to build out the land.
There are also plots for owner occupiers and self developers to take on, as well as a 12,000 sqm residential developments plot and a 2,000 sqm local facilities plot.
Silicon Sands
Silicon Sands is Blackpool’s new home for ethically powered data. Based across a 17 hectare plot at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, it will be a digital-led campus for high performance companies.
Fuelled by renewable energy, Silicon Sands will allow businesses that require high performance computing and low latency to scale with direct access to a colocation data site.
Blackpool is at the forefront of global internet connectivity. The town is now connected to the USA and Europe through the next generation, transatlantic undersea fibre optic cable system on what’s known as the North Atlantic Loop, positioning Blackpool at the forefront of global internet connectivity. This means Internet connection speeds quicker than 64 milliseconds to the Eastern Seaboard.
A multi-million-pound investment in full fibre broadband upgrades has set Blackpool up to carry up to 1/3 of the world’s internet traffic and be capable of hosting global digital providers and tech-reliant businesses, particularly in telehealth, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, plus esports and gaming.
A live Expression of Interest is also available to develop and operate the first data centre, including a 6,000sqft ground floor data hall, as well as opportunities for wider development and investment.
Common Edge Community Sports Village
Opened in 2023, Common Edge Community Sports Village unlocked land at the Eastern Gateway, while providing a world class community facility. It features 12 new grass pitches, floodlit 3G football and grass rugby pitches and uses a £250,000 Football Foundation grant plus £7.5m from Blackpool Town Deal.
Its position as the home of the Blackpool Cup, a major European junior football tournament, also adds to the town’s growing visitor economy.
Hillhouse Enterprise Zone
A 138 hectare site north of Blackpool with potential for large manufacturers, energy generation or plastics, polymers and chemicals, and logistics companies. Hillhouse Enterprise Zone is privately owned by NPL Estates but has an incredible amount of potential for development.
The Spirit to Succeed
Blackpool Makes It Work is about more than just spades in the ground. We know that success here comes through grit and determination, from a desire to always find a way forward, and most importantly we know that it’s delivered by everyone in the community pulling together, supporting each other, and working as a team.
Along with projects which are already planned and in construction, we have a range of live development opportunities for investors, developers and occupiers to join us on our journey.
We also have excellent transport connectivity by road, rail and air, and a skilled workforce ready to better your business and encourage growth.
Changes in the town are already visible and being enjoyed by residents and businesses alike, with even more yet to come.
Getting involved now ensures you can maximise your plans and potential. To find out more about the regeneration programme and get involved, get in touch with the Growth and Prosperity Team.
