£30m bid to be submitted to fix colonnades

A bid for £30m of government funding is being submitted by Blackpool Council to repair a historic seafront landmark.

The council has been invited by the Department for Transport’s £1bn Structures Fund to submit plans to refurbish the historic Grade II listed North Promenade colonnades between the Metropole Hotel and Gynn Square.

Almost a kilometre in length, the colonnades include three sections: Lower Walk at Gynn Square Crescent, Middle Walk from Warley Road to Pleasant Street and Princess Parade by the Metropole.

Blackpool Council say the colonnades, built between 1910 and 1925, remain a much-loved part of Blackpool’s tiered seafront.

Over the last few years, some entrances to the colonnades have been closed for safety reasons, however earlier this year work was completed to safely reopen three of the five entrances.

Councillor Jane Hugo, deputy leader of Blackpool Council, said: “We’ve been working on a plan to restore the colonnades back to their former glory and that’s not cheap.

“To afford the level of repairs the colonnades deserve, we would have to go without any road repairs for more than 10 years.

“That’s why we’re submitting to government our urgent need for extra funding so we can restore them.”

The estimated cost to repair and replace the entire length in a like for like design is estimated to be around £35m.

The council submitted its interest in bidding for between £22.5m and £31.5m from the Structures Fund last month and has now been asked to submit a formal bid with detailed plans.

If the bid is accepted, the council would also contribute towards the remaining funding gap with work expected to be completed by 2030.