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PRIVACY
Economic Development

Blackpool receives 拢6m boost from government for two key regeneration projects

Cash will support civil service hub and Silicon Sands projects

The two projects are set to revitalise Blackpool(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Blackpool has received a financial injection of £6 million to back two pivotal regeneration developments in the town. This boost includes £4 million allocated to the £100 million budget for the nearly completed new civil service hub located on King Street in the town centre, and an additional £2 million earmarked for the Silicon Sands initiative at Blackpool Airport.

The Government has released £20 million as part of the groundwork for establishing Lancashire’s upcoming Combined County Authority (CCA). .

Blackpool Council leader Coun Lynn Williams heralded it as a 'historic moment,' marking "the start of this new way of working where we will have more control over local decision and the funding that supports those decisions."

She added: "The projects being funded in Blackpool are of strategic importance to us. The new town centre offices for the DWP will bring over 3,000 workers into the centre of Blackpool. Silicon Sands is a forward looking project that will bring new, high quality tech jobs to Blackpool. Starting with a small data centre at the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, it will bring a new industry and investment to Blackpool while also tackling the climate emergency at the same time."

The civil service hub, funded through council borrowing, will utilise the £4m to alleviate some of the borrowing costs. The hub is set to open next year, with the council recouping its investment via a 25-year lease with the DWP, reports .

The £2 million allocated for Silicon Sands will be employed to clear the remaining part of the site at the airport, preparing it for a low carbon data centre earmarked for the land. This centre will benefit from connectivity provided by undersea Trans-Atlantic fibre cables that come ashore in the town.

A portion of the funding will also go towards constructing a new handling facility for up to 45 passengers at the airport, replacing existing facilities. This work is necessary for the data centre project to proceed.

Additional funds from the devolution fund include £6m for an innovation hub at Samlesbury Enterprise Zone and £6m for the Innovation Quarter in Blackburn.