HOTSPOT: Making some real progress in Blackpool

The motto on Blackpool’s proud coat of arms declares ‘Progress’.

Today there are welcome signs of it happening across the famous
coastal town.

Blackpool is best known for its tourism sector but much of the regeneration work happening now is looking to shift that dependency on the visitor economy and attract high-quality jobs in growth areas such as digital.

In May plans were submitted for a new £45m office development in Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway.

It would be the fifth phase of the £350m development, which is bringing more than 8,000 workers and students into the town centre.

Phase one, including new Grade A offices, was completed in 2014.

Phase two, a 144 bed Holiday Inn hotel and Marco Pierre White New
York Italian restaurant opened in May.

A £23m tramway extension, interchange with Blackpool North railway station and surrounding retail units, is now up and running and phase three, a civil service hub office for over 3,000 government workers is under construction and expected to open in 2025.

And planning consent has been granted for a  ‘Multiversity’ campus for Blackpool and the Fylde College in phase four, bringing up to 3,000 more students and staff into the area.

The month of May also saw the launch of the potentially ‘game-changing’ Silicon Sands masterplan at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, looking to attract inward investment and spark the creation of thousands of high-quality jobs.

The aim is to take advantage of the CeltixConnect2 internet cable that connects Blackpool with New York, Dublin and northern Europe as part of the North Atlantic Loop, which carries up to one-third of the world’s internet traffic.

Similar to the way data centre clusters have been developed in Dublin and New York, Blackpool’s belief is access to the cable could create significant inward investment – not just in the town but across the coast.

Silicon Sands would also boast a host of carbon friendly credentials.

A first data centre is set to start construction next year on a cleared area of land.

Blackpool Council is hosting an expression of interest for data centre developers and operators to build and run the site, which would also include a research and office facility on upper floors.

The 40-acre site will offer development land for businesses which could benefit from direct access to a data centre, including high performance sectors such as artificial intelligence, telehealth, advanced manufacturing and gaming.

There is no doubt the airport EZ, is taking off.

It is already home to leading national and
international manufacturing companies.

The local authority is currently seeking a development partner for an additional 30,000 sq m of land which will be unlocked by a new access road.

The site already has been granted planning permission for employment purposes, with the preferred use a series of industrial units catered to the advanced manufacturing, energy, food and drink and digital sectors.
Rob Green is head of both Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone and the Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone up the coast at Thornton.

He says: “At Blackpool we started out with a target for about 5,000 jobs. So far, we’ve been very successful in that we’ve already got 2,500.

“There has been some new development but the real success of the first phase has been in raising awareness, getting a lot of empty property let and seeing rental levels increase quite substantially to the point where it becomes viable for private sector developers to become
involved and we’re seeing more interest in that.

“The objective of the enterprise zones is to bring in new industry, new business to the area but the foundation we have is working with local
businesses, helping them grow.

“As we move on, there are real opportunities for inward investment and actually game-changing infrastructure.

"We are looking to attract bigger, larger footplate businesses, inward investment, larger companies to grow.”

When it comes to the Hillhouse EZ, Rob says there are challenges in terms of providing infrastructure to open up the site, which is private sector owned.

However, he believes its future success will be based on becoming an
energy cluster in its own right.

He said: “Hillhouse is geared towards large scale, very heavy industry type investment.

"There’s a lot of work to be done there, but the potential is enormous around energy generation, the manufacture of hydrogen and potentially even small modular reactors being located on the site.”

Angela Kershaw is head of business growth at Blackpool Council.

She believes the airport EZ is also a good option for local companies that are looking to develop and scale-up their operations.

She says: “They are now starting to see the enterprise zone as an option when it comes to relocation. They can see the types of companies that are being drawn there and the network that is developing.”

In a previous role Angela worked to develop foreign direct investment into Lancashire and she believes the presence of enterprise zones helps in that work to attract interest from global markets.

Chris Brown, founder and managing director of accountants Brown & Co, sees the opportunity the Fylde’s two EZs offer for larger international firms, as well as local companies.

One of his practice’s clients based on the airport EZ was acquired by an international firm recently and he says the location and size of its operation on the site were factors behind the deal.

Chris says: “There is great opportunity, not just for small businesses but for larger one to invest.”

When it comes to the interest from local firms, he believes the scale of investment in the area is helping.

He adds: “With so much happening, people want to stay on the Fylde, they want to invest.”

Martin Long heads the Blackpool and Fylde office of Napthens solicitors and chairs the Blackpool Business Leadership Group, which has almost
250 members drawn from the private sector.

He sees massive positives from the growth of the airport EZ and the millions of pounds spent on its infrastructure and adds: “People see it
as a place to do business. It is becoming much more attractive to businesses looking to relocate.

“Its development also demonstrates the strong partnerships that exits within the town and which distinguishes Blackpool from many other places.”
He adds: “Blackpool has been very fortunate in the level of central government funding it has received, through initiatives like levelling up and Town Deal funding.

“We are seeing the massive changes that could bring. Economic growth brings jobs and careers.”

Energy consultancy Trident Utilities, with its 56-strong staff, is based on the airport EZ.

Managing director Michael Dugdale says the proposed development of innovative low carbon energy technologies centred around Silicon Sands is a “really exciting opportunity” that will attract more businesses.

He says: “If small scale generation can support enterprise zones or other business parks then that’s a real positive development.”

Josh Keen is marketing manager of management consultancy RKMS. Its seven-strong team has been based at the airport EZ since 2016, initially drawn by the business rate relief that was offered, an incentive that is no longer available.

He says: “That was a massive draw but there was more to it. In terms of commuting and attracting local staff it is a great location. What’s also great is that you have hundreds of other businesses on your doorstep.

“We now host a local networking group at our offices once a quarter.

"We encourage people from the EZ to come to that. It’s about promoting the local economy and getting people to use local services.”

A native of the town, Josh moved to Australia for a number of years before returning home.

He says: “It’s great to see the signs of regeneration now. There is so much potential within the town and we are so much more than a tourist destination.”