Final design submitted for Multiversity

Plans for a new state-of-the-art education campus in Blackpool town centre have been submitted for final approval.

The ‘Multiversity’ campus will provide a new home for Blackpool and The Fylde College, bringing up to 3,000 students and staff into the heart of the town.

The 115,000 sq ft building will include five floors of education space to deliver more than 70 individual courses.

Those behind the plan say it will enhance the college’s existing higher education provision which is directly linked to local employment needs.

It would also support a wide range of qualifications, from further education, through to higher education and adult learning.

The proposed campus building includes a high-glossed terracotta tiled facade, along with floor to ceiling glass, while the surrounding area will be ‘greened up’ through landscaping and planting to create a public square.

The building itself is expected to be carbon neutral in operation, with solar panels on the roof of the building, and heated by sustainable air source heat pumps.

A green roof terrace at the south of the building will also allow students to both study and relax in a landscaped environment.

Avison Young have led as the planning consultants, along with architects Hawkins\Brown and advisers CBRE. Blackpool Council has also appointed Morgan Sindall Construction as the main contractors on a pre-contact services agreement.

Outline planning approval for up to 32,600sqm of education and commercial space was granted for the whole Multiversity site earlier this year.

In addition to the first phase Multiversity campus, a second phase immediately south will allow expansion space for the college’s future plans, or office space for the Talbot Gateway. In the short term the space would be used as a temporary car park until funding is secured for the second phase.

The local authority says land assembly for the is still under way, with more than 60 per cent of the properties purchased so far and negotiations with the remaining property owners continuing.

While a Compulsory Purchase Order was served in April and will be heard at a public inquiry starting on November 12, the council says it continues to negotiate with property owners, and is offering “a range of support” to those who have to move because of the development.

Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams said: “I understand that we are buying people’s homes and that for many this has been a difficult process. As throughout this process, support is still available to help find alternative accommodation and to move home. If anyone does still need support please do contact us.”

Alun Francis, chief executive at Blackpool and The Fylde College, added: “We are really pleased with the progress being made to bring this amazing new facility into the heart of Blackpool.  We look forward to sharing more details as the project progresses.” 

The Multiversity makes up phase four of Blackpool Council’s £350m regeneration of the Talbot Gateway area around Blackpool North train station, which will bring more than 8,000 professional workers and students into the area.

A new four-star 144-bedroom Holiday Inn hotel and Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurant opened in May, while a tram-train interchange linking to Blackpool Promenade opened in June.

A civil service hub will bring more than 3,000 government workers into a new base on King Street early next year, while full planning permission has been granted for a new office off Talbot Road which would be home to more than 1,000 workers.

Plans for a new multi-storey car park off Church Street are also set to be submitted.

The land for the new Multiversity is being acquired by the council with the support of a £9m government grant while the construction was also awarded £40m from the government in 2023.