The Executive of Blackpool Council met on Monday 15 September 2025 to discuss the next steps for the Blackpool Central ¹ development. The report pack included a proposal to appoint consultants to market the development and investment opportunity that the site offers.

Blackpool Central

The Executive were scheduled to discuss the next steps for the Blackpool Central development. The report pack recommended that the Executive:

• Agree to a revised budget for the appointment of consultants.
• Delegate authority to Alan Cavill, Director of Place, to appoint professional commercial advisors to promote and market the site.
• Delegate authority to the Head of Legal Services to enter into any legal agreements relating to the appointment of consultants.

The report pack stated that the reason for these recommendations was to market the site on a national and international stage to potential future investors and developers. It noted that the council has worked to prepare the site for future development, including the construction of a new multi-storey car park and the demolition of the former police station and courts building.

The report pack also suggested that an alternative option would be for the council to market the site without the support of a leading professional consultancy team, but that this approach might not reach the audience of investors/developers that have the vision, capital investment and appetite to deliver a scheme appropriate for the site. Another alternative would be to do nothing, but that this would be a further setback in seeing the vision for the site come to fruition.

The report pack noted that the relevant council priority is both:

• 'The economy: Maximising growth and opportunity across Blackpool'
• 'Communities: Creating stronger communities and increasing resilience'

The previous Executive Report (EX39/2024) updated on the status of the proposed Blackpool Central development, which was due to be delivered by former developers Nikal Ltd and the subsequent termination of this agreement between the parties. It also set out the approach to take the site back out to the market in search of a new Developer / Investor.

The report pack noted that the demolition of the courts will be completed by the end of September 2025 and the General Vesting Declaration of the site is set to be implemented by the middle of October, in accordance with the confirmed Compulsory Purchase Order ².

The report pack stated that all of the consultants who have tendered for the works have a wealth of knowledge and experience in preparing proposals for strategic sites across the world and that they have the ability to engage with Developers and Investors on an international stage, which is a key requirement for the marketing of the Blackpool Central Site.

The costs for the marketing of the site will be funded via prudential borrowing ³, with repayment of this being funded from the disposal of the site and resultant land receipt.