Proposed Blackpool conference centre gets funding boost

Work on a new £25m conference centre at the Winter Gardens could start later this year, after the final tranche of funding was allocated by the government.

The dedicated new build venue will provide modern conferencing facilities including breakout rooms and exhibition spaces, complementing the current rooms such as the Empress Ballroom and the Opera House, which will allow the complex to host up to 7,000 delegates.

Cllr Simon Blackburn, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “The announcement is excellent news and is another step forward in turning this conference centre in to a reality.

“Major conferences in Blackpool bring thousands of delegates in the town centre, who in turn spend money in our local shops, restaurants and hotels, helping our businesses thrive and allowing them to take on new workers.

The new centre is to be built on the site of the former car park on Leopold Grove with refurbishment works also unveiling the full exterior of the outside of the Empress Ballroom for the first time in years.

Blackpool Council has commissioned the plans from architects Bisset Adams, who previously worked on designing the refurbishment of Central Library in Blackpool, along with Max Fordham Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Morgan Tucker Civil and Structural Engineers and Right Solution conference consultants. The brief was to create a high quality contemporary building which respected the historical and architectural significance of the rest of the complex, but which offers innovative solutions to the challenges of twenty first century conferencing, such as security, as well as providing an improved public realm and environmentally friendly build.