Major 'regeneration and rejuvenation' ahead for Blackpool but questions remain

AFTER years of underinvestment, Blackpool is on course to experience major “regeneration and rejuvenation” but while housing developments at various stages in the area have largely been welcomed, public representatives have called for additional services and improved infrastructure to support the future influx of new residents.

Local politicians have also urged planners to ensure future developments “complement the area”, with decisions pending on an abundance of planning applications.

In the village itself, boots are on the ground across a number of developments that are continuing at pace, including the Clúid Housing Green Lane housing scheme in partnership with Cork City Council.

A total of 112 social housing units are set to be delivered on Thomas Davis Street, at the site of the former Blackpool flats complex.

“It’s five blocks of apartments, 77 general needs apartments and 35 age friendly units, they’re typically for people over 55 or people with disabilities.

“When this scheme is finished, it will add to our existing 3,270 residents in Cork City that are in management and that’s about 1,350 homes that we currently have in management in the city,” James O’Halloran, head of new business at Clúid, told The Echo.

“Hopefully it will be complete by November this year when we’ll have keys to 112 homes ready to go,” he continued.

Plans for development on the brownfield site had been mooted for several years, with construction on the current scheme getting underway in August 2021.

Mr O’Halloran said the 1.32-hectare site has proved “challenging” for a number of reasons including its sloping nature, but said that despite this, the project is progressing well.

He paid tribute to Cork City Council for the leadership shown in working to transform the derelict site.

“This scheme would not have been possible without the elected members supporting it through the Part 8 planning process and Cork City Council working in partnership with us… huge kudos to Cork City Council for getting us on board."

Elsewhere in Blackpool village, another residential scheme under construction is located at a former derelict site that had become a target for illegal dumping in recent years.

A public-private partnership between Cork City Council and Citidwell Homes will see 37 apartments built on Watercourse Road on a site straddling the Blackpool bypass and the main thoroughfare through Blackpool in a laneway known as Corkeran’s Quay.

Schemes that have been granted planning permission in Blackpool include plans to transform a former furniture store at 11-13 Watercourse Road into apartments and plans for 114 build-to-rent apartments and a retail unit at a site on Redforge Road.

Other applications are pending decisions. These include plans for dozens of apartments at the former Hammond Lane premises at Spring Lane.

In January, applicants Gerard and Teresa O’Sullivan lodged a planning application with Cork City Council for the residential development at the metal company’s former site.

The proposed development includes the demolition of four existing industrial buildings and one two-storey office building as well as the removal of a weighbridge and the construction of 62 apartments in three buildings.

Elsewhere in the heart of Blackpool, Unique Fitout Unlimited Company has applied to Cork City Council for permission to demolish the former Distillery Bar on Watercourse Road, which has been vacant for many years.

They hope to then construct a new building ranging in height from three to seven storeys with 22 apartments and a 50sqm commercial unit.

Cork City Council has submitted a request for further information before it makes a decision on the application.

City planners have also sought further information on a separate application for a residential development on Gerald Griffin Street designed to be used as sheltered housing.

Summertime Developments Ltd is seeking permission from the local authority to develop 18 units at 95 Gerald Griffin Street, at a site located to the rear of Neptune Stadium that is understood to have had a former industrial use.

According to the planning statement submitted with the application, the proposed development would see the existing buildings on site retained and converted and new infill buildings constructed.

It would provide 16 one-bed units and two two-bed units with the scheme “designed to suit a use as sheltered housing”.

The site is currently made up of a three-storey warehouse building fronting onto Gerald Griffin Street with a two-storey outbuilding located to the rear.

Speaking to The Echo, about the various developments in the pipeline for Blackpool, Fianna Fáil councillor John Sheehan, who has a GP practice on Thomas Davis Street, underscored the scale of housing the area is set to see.

“There’s probably more development in housing happening in Blackpool in the last couple of years than the previous, I suppose, 10 or 15 years and that’s great to see because they’re nearly all on brownfield sites.

“There are about 10 different sites at various stages of development around Blackpool, so I really welcome the fact that they’re happening,” he said.

However, Mr Sheehan said Blackpool will need an enhanced level of amenities and services to support an increase in residents.

“We have a mixed bag in terms of infrastructure, so we have a lot of things that are good, such as bus routes, such as schools nearby that have some capacity, sporting clubs etc, being near to town.

“They’re all great but we’re lacking certain things. Green spaces is a big one… there’s also a big shortage of childcare facilities in the area so if we want families to come and make here their home, they need to have somewhere where their kids can play, there needs to be more childcare facilities.

“There are some local providers and that’s great, but the capacity is limited,” he said.

This was echoed by Sinn Féin councillor, Mick Nugent.

“The housing developments can add to the regeneration and rejuvenation of the area, in terms of bringing a lot of life back into Blackpool, particularly what would have been seen as Blackpool village.

“A lot of the apartments are near enough to the site of the former Blackpool flats, so in a way it’s kind of back to the future.

“We just have to ensure that while they will, I think, bring life back into Blackpool village, we have to look at the infrastructure, we have to look at the amenities, we have to look at what’s there for residents,” he said.

Mr Nugent said it is also vital that any future developments would “complement the area”.

Meanwhile, Green Party local area representative, Louise Jordan, who is a resident of Blackpool, said she has some concern Blackpool could lose its sense of place “with numbers of non-descript blocks of flats”.

“Both dereliction and this type of developer-led construction is destroying the village.

“We need the planning department to understand placemaking and prescribe a design with the community in mind, not just stacks of one- and two-bed apartments.

“Alongside these, there has to be a vision for Blackpool.

“We need to restore the identity of the village again and retain the remaining built heritage.

“Bit by bit the beautiful red sandstone buildings are being demolished for bland, rendered buildings.

“I don’t want to object to housing, but people will not want to live in Blackpool if it is not a proper living community with good facilities and space to relax in,” she continued.

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said he believes housing in Blackpool will breathe new life into the area but said the “essence of Blackpool” must be preserved.

“There’s vacancy and dereliction throughout Blackpool.

“That has to be a top priority and there’s significant grants now to turn around vacant buildings in town centre locations like Blackpool.

“Housing projects will be key in making the village more liveable and attractive and bring life back into the heart of it.

“They’re essential to address the housing shortage and they’ll create a more compact centre to Blackpool too.

“That will help recreate a village life, but we should not lose the essence of Blackpool in that.

“We need to strike a balance that’s good for the community there,” he said.

Mr Moran said he believes BusConnects also provides a unique opportunity to transform the village.

“Obviously, the project itself is about improving the reliability and frequency of our public transport and build better walking and cycling routes.

“But seen in the whole, it's about recreating a village centre that's liveable and attractive to live and do business in,” he said.

“One of the most exciting opportunities to come with that is that the National Transport Authority (NTA) have contracted an urban design company to look at the streetscape of Blackpool and design for the area.

“Alongside other regeneration projects, like more housing near the village centre, that has huge potential for the future of Blackpool.”