Council seeks answers over future of £300m Blackpool Central regen plan

Blackpool Council is seeking talks with the developer behind a £300m leisure project in the town after it emerged the business has posted a Notice of Intention to appoint administrators.

Manchester based Nikal has been working with the council to deliver Blackpool Central – described as the largest single investment in the town for more than a century.

The Notice of Intention (NOI) to appoint an administrator was filed by the business on October 16.

Commenting on that news, the council has stressed it has a “clear commitment” to deliver the major regeneration project and is considering its next steps to progress the development. 

Blackpool Central has been described as a year-round world-class leisure destination and is planned for a site just off the resort’s famous Golden Mile.

The project aims to create up to 1,000 jobs, bring an estimated 600,000 additional visitors each year, and boost annual spend in the resort by £75m.

A Blackpool Council spokesperson said: “We have been working on the enabling phase of Blackpool Central over the last few years.

“The new multi-storey car park opened earlier this summer and we are currently completing preparations to demolish the old police station and courts building early in the New Year.

“We had been negotiating with Nikal on how they would deliver the next phases of leisure and accommodation, and will speaking to them to understand how this news affects those plans.

“We still have a clear commitment to deliver Blackpool Central and will be considering our next steps to progress it.”

Plans for the 17-acre site of the old Blackpool Central railway station, which were first unveiled in 2018, include hotels, restaurants, food market, event square, residential apartments and multi-storey parking.

In January 2020 Nikal Ltd and Media Invest Entertainment took on a 250-year lease of the site – once earmarked for a ‘super casino’ - with their ambitious plans to create a sci-fi themed attraction. It was hailed as “one of the UK’s most important regeneration projects.”

Nikal has been contacted for by Lancashire Business View for comment.