Blackpool approves £50m office development

Blackpool Council’s planning committee has voted unanimously to approve the build of a 215,000 sq ft office block as part of the Talbot Gateway town centre regeneration plans.

The seven-storey building will be constructed on a 2.4-acre site by Deansgate, King Street, Cookson Street, Charles Street and East Topping Street.

The hub will house 1,700 desks, but is expected to accommodate up to 2,800 civil service jobs when accounting for those who will work remotely.

It is not yet known whether these jobs will be new to the area, or if they will house employees from Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Defence, two organisations whose leases on the Fylde Coast will expire soon.

Coun David Owen, Blackpool's planning committee chairman, said: "This is a major milestone in the council’s aim to try to improve the employment prospects of our citizens.

"It is all part of a piece of strategic thinking for the future of the borough and hopefully this is the start of something big."

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