Major update on plans to return suburb back to its former glory

Controversial plans to improve the housing quality around Blackpool’s Revoe community have formally been submitted.

- by Vanessa Sims

Blackpool Council has submitted plans for its vision for Central Drive as part of its wider strategy to restore the area back to its heyday.

The hybrid application includes plans to demolish up to 300 densely populated properties and build a new neighbourhood, made up of 230 energy-efficient homes, new shops, green spaces, community facilities and flexible workspaces.

The proposals cover around 5.4 hectares of land just south of the town centre, focused on Central Drive and surrounding streets and is a major intervention to make Central Drive an area where local Blackpool people want to live and raise their children in.

It also supports the council's wider ambitions to make Central Drive better, including bringing international investors to create a new large leisure scheme to create local jobs, building more social housing at Foxhall Village, a new community sports village at Blackpool Football Club and improvements to Revoe Park.

The plans have proved controversial amongst some Revoe residents whose homes face demolition.

Some are furious and say they would rather their houses were renovated instead of being bulldozed.

Many are concerned about losing out financially, especially if they cannot afford to buy another house, and are worried about where they will go.