Present: Andrew Calvert Lancashire Business View Martin Long Napthens Steve Weaver Blackpool Borough Council Doug Garret ReBlackpool David Cam Blackpool Pleasure Beach David Kershaw Blackpool International Airport Peter Glenn F. Parkinson Peter Riley Crossley & Davies Philip Owen Barclays Corporate Banking Claire Smith Number One Babs Murphy Chamber of Commerce Mike Damms Chamber of Commerce

It is just over a year since the fateful day that Blackpool’s hopes of being the home of Britain’s first Las Vegas-style super casino were dashed. Council chiefs had promised the casino would bring a new era of prosperity to the ailing resort, creating a world-class tourism destination and thousands of new jobs. Lancashire Business View brought together leaders from the public and private sectors at the Imperial Hotel to find out how the regeneration of Blackpool is progressing without the roulette wheels and slot machines.

How big a blow to the resort was the decision not to grant the super casino license to Blackpool?

Steve Weaver: It was a huge disappointment, but I think it was a catalyst for us to get together and recognise that the plans we had for reshaping the resort were still in place. We are still looking for that major private sector catalyst to come in to replace the casino, but I’m confident that we will get that investment over the next few years, because our vision of a 21st Century world class resort remains.

Doug Garret: The casino would have brought enormous confidence to the marketplace in terms of the private sector. The casino would have speeded up investment and would have given the confidence for people to step forward. What we have seen come through is a number of public sector initiatives, we still need to find major private sector investment and we fully intend to test the market very soon.

What difference would the casino have made to the wider tourism industry?

David Cam: Confidence – confidence in the town and the confidence of investors to come into the town. Competition faced over the last 20 to 30 years has hurt the whole of the town’s infrastructure and, particularly, the accommod-ation sector. We have a seven-year plan anyway – and we had one before the casino decision – and our answer to surviving the problem is investment in the Pleasure Beach. What we would like to do clearly as a town is get the message out that we do have a super future. We are still the biggest tourist attraction in the country.

What impact has the decision had on the airport’s plans for further expansion?

David Kershaw: It is inevitable that it has affected the airport in some ways. The growth trajectory was spectacular, to say the least, prior to the announcement and there was a certain expectation that the casino would underpin some of the routes which were operating at the time. The casino would have proved a real magnet in bringing people into this part of the world through the airport. What I have seen in the last three months, in terms of the regeneration effort and the investment that’s going into the town, will improve the image as a whole.

What would the casino have done for the private sector?

Peter Glenn: There would undoubtedly have been an increase in the volume of construction if the casino had been successful. However, there is still a momentum within the industry in Blackpool. Although it was a loss, you put it behind you, move on and make better of what you have.

Martin Long: The professional sector always doubted the wisdom of placing all of one’s eggs in one basket. The argument that “if the casino bid failed in Blackpool we would be finished” had an adverse effect on the commercial property market, particularly the small hotel market which, up to that point, had been very lively. It wasn’t so much the failure of the bid, but the fact that we had pinned all of our hopes on it and there didn’t seem to be a Plan B.

Peter Riley: People generally hung their hats on the success of the super casino bid. That said, Blackpool is a unique spot full of entrepreneurs and it is a town which does attract capital. I would like to see a really good conference centre in Blackpool, something along the lines of Harrogate, something which would raise the profile of the town.

Philip Owen: Naturally we were very disappointed that the casino didn’t come to the town and we noticed a bad knock-on effect in terms of commercial deals that were going to go through from speculators who wanted to come to the town.

On a regional level, how important is it for Lancashire to have an international class tourism product?

Babs Murphy: We have to stop talking about the casino – because that is past – and we all need to move on. Maybe there’s an over-emphasis on the tourist sector. Nobody denies that it is extremely important, but maybe we ought to look at diversifying our industry and not be dependent just on tourism. We ought to be creating an environment where people want to invest, not necessarily just in the tourism sector, but in different industries.

Mike Damms: The Blackpool challenge is to reinvent this 21st Century resort and to grow the local economy. Blackpool is a truly international brand, something tremendous, and one of the key assets that Lancashire has.

How big an impact would a super casino have had on the micro level of tourism?

Claire Smith: The super casino was only part of a bigger picture and I think this is a very exciting time to be in Blackpool. Number One South Beach is a reflection of what’s going on out there. It will take time, but I think the casino was only a very small part of what’s happening here.

How can the master plan for Blackpool be achieved?

Steve Weaver: You need to look at the actual things that have happened in Blackpool, or are happening, both before and after the casino decision. Houndsdhill phase one brings a department store to Blackpool for the first time in 20 years, we have started with the first campus for the potential University of Blackpool and we’ve selected AMEC for a £300 million mixed development around Blackpool North station. We have a £3.5 million programme of festivals and events over the next three years. There is the fantastic redevelopment of the seafront and we are going to reinvent the illuminations. With the local enterprise growth initiative we have an opportunity to look at developing other industries within Blackpool, the creative industries in particular.

David Cam: There is an awful lot of good news, I dare say rather more exciting than most towns in the country, with the amount of investment that’s going in at the moment. Now Blackpool has got the infrastructure to make people want to come here, we have got to make them want to come more. Business tourism is just as important to us as vocational tourism and we shouldn’t underestimate the need for this conference centre.

Doug Garret: The biggest issue is removing the seasonal factor and to have people come all year round. We need to see the economy levelled out in a way that doesn’t have all these enormous peaks and troughs around school holiday time. For years, the illuminations has further extended the season, but there are so many other ways that we need to be smart to ensure that we bring the year-round economy that’s crucial to Blackpool.

Babs Murphy: We need to create jobs and we have to bring in businesses into Blackpool to create those high value jobs. With all the negativity over the last 12 months, there is a perception out there now that Blackpool is a failure. We need to reposition Blackpool in the market place as a quality destination – not cheap and cheerful, but a quality destination where people will come who have got disposable income to spend in the economy.

David Kershaw: The reality is that this part of the world is in desperate need of new long-term, high-earning jobs along with skills and investment. The big plus I take from this is that we are all together, going forward in one direction.
Steve Weaver: The Fylde Coast is a very rich economy, both in terms of the wealth that people have and the scale and breadth of its industries. We, in Blackpool, are working with our neighbouring authorities of Fylde and Wyre to look beyond our administrative boundaries. Within Fylde, we’ve got some high quality employment land and, if we look at that economy and place Blackpool in that context, the opportunities are really there within this part of the world.

Does Blackpool have an image problem?

Claire Smith: One of our problems is purely and simply perception. If people in the country could hear what is going on then they would have a completely different attitude to the place. A lot of our problem is communication and perception and, instead of the bad publicity that we get, I can’t understand why people don’t let the world know what is going on here.

Doug Garret: There is certainly a better story to be told around all that is happening in the town and all of the wonderful assets that we have had here for years. There is nowhere else that has got the incredible range of attractions that we have in Blackpool and we do need to tell people more about it. We need to concentrate on ensuring that we are delivering quality right across the board. We do have that communication job, certainly that is one of the big challenges for us – to tell a story of what’s here in a better way.

Martin Long: There is still a lack of confidence in the local community amongst business people. I am dealing with those people on a daily basis and, when I talk about regeneration, people who have lived in the town all of their lives will come out with comments like “Watch this space” and I just feel as if the confidence hasn’t been regained following the failure of the bid.

Has Blackpool been a victim of its success in becoming a unitary authority?

Steve Weaver: I think we have done some fantastic things since we have been a unitary authority. Blackpool set its aspirations very high but, because we didn’t get the casino, people think we failed. What people have forgotten is that we have actually achieved an awful lot. A key focus of our masterplan has always been the development of the town centre to create a centre full of visitors and residents who would come in and spend their money and generate jobs and wealth within Blackpool.

To what extent is the business community working with the local authority to push forward this agenda for change?

Peter Glenn: There are close partnerships between the public and private sectors that will produce further work and employment in the town. There is a desire to bring employment and training and this focus on people getting back to work and being part of the economy.

David Kershaw: We have spent a lot of time talking about how Blackpool Airport can become a regional hub, a regional driver of change, and I find it very encouraging that at least we are all singing from the same hymn sheet.

What is the chance of the government releasing the significant funding from the public sector that’s necessary for the next stage of the regeneration of Blackpool?

Doug Garret: The taskforce made its submissions to government back in July, but it has been a very slow response. Within the announcements around the tramway, the press releases referred to a whole ream of different areas where public investment could help stimulate wider private investment. We are told that a decision is imminent but how extensive it will be and how much we will see by way of monies is anyone’s guess.

Should tourism businesses be challenging the stereotype of the Blackpool experience by investing in quality and turning their backs on hen and stag parties?

Claire Smith: Blackpool does need to cover the whole spectrum and we do need accommodation at one star, two star, three star and four star, but we currently have an imbalance. We haven’t got enough four and five star accommodation, so that’s what we are trying to address.

David Cam: The demographic of visitors to Blackpool hasn’t changed – it is still all ages in different sorts of groups and they come for different reasons. Grannies still come, the babies still come and everybody in between – including stags and hens. Somebody decided one day that Blackpool should have the reputation as being the capital for stags and hens, well that’s great because we want people to come and enjoy themselves.

Are the banks willing to invest in the tourism sector in Blackpool?

Philip Owen: Very much so – in the last five years we have been lending millions of pounds to up-and-coming businesses and we are prepared to push the boundaries of where we would normally lend. We do have hoteliers doing incredibly well and making very handsome profits on the back of looking after the guests, giving them the right experience, making sure the accommodation is clean, tidy and fresh and almost reinventing themselves every so often.

What is the one thing that would do the most to regenerate Blackpool?

Doug Garret: Well, as far as I am concerned, Blackpool is all about its coastal location. We need to reconnect with the beach, with the shoreline and with all the reasons that have made Blackpool Britain’s best resort.

Claire Smith: The people’s playground concept is extremely important for us because it is physical evidence that Blackpool is changing. There is a vision for Blackpool, which is as the city on the beach, and I think it is absolutely fabulous.

Peter Riley: Aside from tourism, there is a massive population around this area that needs to be spending its money in the town. The Gateway developments and the changing of the town centre will do that.

Babs Murphy: I think I would have to give the UK a reality check in terms of Blackpool and get away from the perception of stags and hens and binge drinking – and that would be that Blackpool is a place to do business.

Philip Owen: A conference centre and whatever was attached to it would bring new people to the town and the spin-offs would come as a result of that.

Mike Damms: The public sector trying to do its part hasn’t quite worked – it’s up to the private sector now.

Peter Glenn: Working together with the districts of Fylde and Wyre, together with the conference centre. The city on the beach – I like that.

Steve Weaver: If we could develop a real understanding crossing private and public sectors at regional and national levels, then I think everything else would fall into place.

Martin Long: Something we haven’t really discussed is the social deprivation, which is prevalent in Blackpool. An improvement in that area would make a massive difference to the town.

David Cam: Our objective should be for Blackpool to be the place to do business, to have fun and to party. We need a conference centre and that, to me, is the catalyst for the future redevelopment of Blackpool.

David Kershaw: The most important thing for us all going forward is that we have to get away from any negative attitude when it comes to this part of the world. Blackpool should absolutely stand tall and be proud of what it is – throwing out the past would be a very big mistake.