As we look north to the far reaches of Lancashire, this month’s regional review focuses on the towns of Blackpool and Lancaster, where sport and redevelopment issues predominate.
Blackpool
Life is bittersweet for Blackpool at the moment: Visit Blackpool has secured conference wins touted to deliver an estimated economic benefit of £5m in the first quarter of 2010 and the town is bracing itself for a huge economic boost after the football team were promoted to the Premier League. But these developments come as Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway scheme is under threat from the NWDA’s spending review, a project which would have been used to help fund the redevelopment around Blackpool North Station and Talbot Road. So where will this leave the town, boosted by recent video virals and a surge in home tourism, in the future? We will assess the seaside mood in the public and private sector and look at where positives can be drawn.
Lancaster
Plans to regenerate the centre of Lancaster took a step forward in May after the City Council, landowner Mitchell’s, English Heritage and developer Centros agreed to work together for the proposed Canal Corridor North development. Following the Secretary of State’s decision in December to refuse planning permission for Centros’ initial plans for the scheme, the group has now agreed to work in partnership to take the “necessary steps to develop further the options for redeveloping the Canal Corridor site.” We will assess why this is important and look at other key strengths that Lancaster has to offer, namely the university and a growing creative industries sector.
Editorial deadline: 17th September 2010
Editorial contact: Stuart Wilkin
Ad copy deadline: 17th September 2010
Ad contacts:
Clare
Wild 0161 907 9747
Dan
Butcher 0161 907 9742
Avril
Larkin 0161 907 9740
Mark
Perkins 0161 907 9749