SHOWING TOWERING AMBITION


BLACKPOOL Council’s plan for the future is built around maximising growth and opportunities, creating stronger communities and increasing resilience.


More than £570m has been spent so far on town centre developments including improvements in the public realm, promenade and tramway.


That investment also includes acquisitions of key leisure assets including Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens and Houndshill Shopping Centre.


The £47.6m acquisition secures the future of the centre and will facilitate investment in a development including restaurants and an Imax-style cinema, providing a significant boost for the night-time economy.


A bid has been submitted to the Future High Street Fund for cash that will fast- track that expansion.


Showtown - Blackpool Museum


Blackpool’s first museum located on first floor of the new Sands Venue Resort Hotel, the £13m project will attract an additional 300,000 visitors annually as it celebrates the resort’s rich culture and heritage in arts and entertainment.


Next Generation Hotels


The development of several “next generation” hotels provides another dimension to the resort’s extensive range of accommodation to suit all budgets.


Recent openings include the £8.5m Hampton by Hilton and the four-star Ocean Boulevard hotel.


Developments under construction include The Sands Venue Resort Hotel – Blackpool’s first five-star hotel, spa and restaurant, a £20m investment by Coolsilk and the £7.1m North Pier Premier Inn.


Quality Corridors Blackpool Central


The council says it is committed to further investment and development and despite recent setbacks due to coronavirus, this will be a pivotal year for some key development sites across the town.


As part of the £1bn-plus ‘Growth and Prosperity Programme’ the town centre will continue to see major regeneration projects taking shape, with shifts in use and the re-purposing of property to drive footfall and spend, to boost the economy, improve the lifestyle of the community and provide more jobs for local people.


KEY PROJECTS Blackpool Central


Investment to date £4m, planned investment £300m.


The biggest single investment in Blackpool for more than century. (see story page 54)


Talbot Gateway Investment to date £80m, projected total investment - around £400m.


Phase one was completed in 2014 and included Grade A offices, an anchor Sainsbury’s flagship store and retail and leisure space. (see story page 59)


Winter Gardens Conference Centre


A £28m conference and exhibition centre extension at the Winter Gardens will boost delegate numbers to more than 7,000.


Houndshill Shopping Centre


A bid has been submitted to the Future High Street fund for cash that will fast-track that expansion.


A £7.8m series of improvements to the public realm, shop fronts, street furniture, pavements and highways, creating a cleaner, safer, more attractive place to shop and work.


Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone


One of the largest EZ’s in the UK, £28m has been allocated with the total private investment in the project set exceed £300m. The aim is to create up to 5,000 jobs.


Improved Connectivity


Direct rail services to major cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, and five additional daily services to the capital to have recently been introduced.


Digital Connectivity


FibreBlackpool.com is a project that’s expanding the Fylde Coast’s shared fibre infrastructure into Blackpool town centre and along the coast’s tramline from Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone to Fleetwood and Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone, future-proofing the town so that homes and businesses can enjoy a full ‘fibre to the premises’ (FTTP) connection.


Blackpool to New York in 0.06 seconds


A multi-million pound investment by Aqua Comms will land a new subsea fibre optic cable at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone as part of the North Atlantic Loop, that delivers a resilient, diverse, high capacity network connecting the USA with Ireland, the UK and Northern Europe.


This transatlantic system supports the needs of the Pan-Atlantic hyperscale providers that underpin today’s international cloud industry for global carriers, cloud- based networks, internet service providers, data centres, IT companies and the global media and opens up a wealth of data industry opportunities for Blackpool.


MINING OUR EXPERTISE,EXPERIENCE AND INNOVATION


Covid-19 has thrown up its challenges for every business: large or small, long established or new start, in every industry and sector.


As an apprenticeship and business training provider, Themis at Burnley College, hasn’t been exempt from this. We’ve faced challenges (and still are), we’re responding to the ever-changing business landscape and making plans for when Covid-19 is no longer the headline news every day.


Here’s a snapshot of our daily focusses to ensure we’re in the best possible place to help local, regional and national businesses:


• Researching, sourcing and implementing the most effective digital platforms to work remotely


• Training our teams to work efficiently and confidently from home


• Forward-planning, forecasting the additional skills and knowledge needed in the weeks, months and years ahead


• Maintaining the mental health of every team member


• Ensuring the health and safety of all our teams


• Creating activities to ensure every team member is motivated and inspired.


We’re all playing a part in this. Our trainers who have years of industry experience in their specialist sectors and unrivalled industry insight, alongside our nationally-recognised tutors (including our engineering team who have used their skills to manufacture face masks and visors for the NHS). Our Themis advisors, all specialists with an in-depth knowledge of the local employment scene, alongside our IT specialists who have the expertise vital to ensuring Burnley College’s staff can work remotely (successfully allowing 500-plus staff to simultaneously access and enjoy a staff development day).


We’re really mining the expertise, experience and innovation we’ve got at Themis. We’re constantly researching, developing and adapting; we’re focussing and planning. We’re here to share that expertise and insight with employers. Let’s talk: let’s learn from each other.


Start the conversation about how you can tap into our expertise,


experience and forward-planning at Themis: call 01282 733005 or email employer@themis.ac.uk


Paul Sharples Business solutions manager, Themis at Burnley College


@ThemisBurnley /company/themis-burnley


LANCASHIREBUSINESSVIEW.CO.UK


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BLACKPOOL AND FYLDE COAST


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