DWP to relocate 3,000 Blackpool workers to £100m hub

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has come to an agreement with Blackpool Council and partner Muse Developments to bring a £100m office development to the resort's Talbot Gateway development.

The DWP has signed a 25-year lease to occupy the purpose-built offices as part of a strategic plan to centralise civil service jobs in the heart of Blackpool.

Staff from existing sites at Warbreck House and Ryscar House will move to the Blackpool Hub and Centre for Health and Disability Assessment (CHDA) when the new offices are completed in the autumn of 2024.

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

The seven-storey building, on a 2.4 acre site on King Street, is the third phase in the Talbot Gateway regeneration scheme. 

The BREEAM ‘Excellent’ building has been designed to be ultra-low energy and as energy efficient as possible, with high levels of insulation, low-carbon heating and cooling, and demand-driven ventilation, helping to reduce the building’s overall carbon footprint.

Coun Lynn Williams, the Leader of Blackpool Council, said: "We have been working on plans with our partners Muse to introduce a new Fylde Coast Civil Service Hub for several years and we are thrilled that DWP share our vision and are committed to this long term investment.

"The Civil Service has been looking to combine and streamline its UK administrative functions into more modern, efficient, sustainable and fit-for-purpose Hubs, in line with the principles of their own 2020 Vision. Talbot Gateway, Blackpool’s Central Business District, offers an ideal location, being highly accessible, well located and supported by excellent transport links. The sustainable location and the long list of environmental credentials and innovative design associated with this building, will also have a positive contribution to our climate emergency agenda and promote employee wellbeing.”

Thérèse Coffey, secretary of state for work and pensions, added: "Moving more than 3,000 DWP staff into this state of the art sustainable building in Talbot Gateway will drive footfall in the town centre and support Blackpool’s economic growth as the country builds back better from the pandemic."

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