Taking the long view

Richard Fee is playing the long game. While coronavirus is having an immediate and serious impact on the UK’s visitor economy, he is looking beyond the pandemic and well into the future.

The project director at Nikal, the development company behind the £300m Blackpool Central regeneration masterplan, points out that the game-changing programme is an eight to ten-year project. He adds simply: “We have a long-term view.”

That view is looking to create a world class visitor attraction and entertainment district on the prime 17-acre site that will attract up to 600,000 more visits a year with an annual spend of £75m and create up to 1,000 new jobs.

The vision includes the UK’s first flying theatre and fully immersive virtual reality experience, a 150-bed hotel, artisan food market, event square, residential apartments and a 1,300-space multi-storey car park.