Blackpool

[van heckler]

Originally Posted by Bpool86

Shame that the tower still has scaffolding etc on it as would have made the pics better without it but oh well......

I'm coming to Blackpool this weekend for a visit. It's disappointing to see the tower with scaffolding on it.

How busy does the tower get on a normal Saturday?

[Zim Flyer]

Originally Posted by van heckler

I'm coming to Blackpool this weekend for a visit. It's disappointing to see the tower with scaffolding on it.

How busy does the tower get on a normal Saturday?

Hi Van heckler, I imagine it's pretty busy especially if the weather is bad. If you get the chance do go to the circus, it's brilliant.

Re the scaffolding, it's a massive job and once completed will make sure the Tower is safe for generations to come.

[van heckler]

Thanks for the info. I didn't go to the circus unfortunately, but that gives me a reason to come back soon!

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, everything went to plan and it was nice to experience a different side to Blackpool after previously coming for just a night out.

I was particularly impressed with how the promenade has been regenerated over the last few years. Festival House is a great looking building and the 'comedy carpet' is an interesting addition.

I purchased the Blackpool Resort Ticket which was excellent value for money giving me access to the Tower, Tower Dungeon, Pleasure Beach, Madame Tussauds and Sea Life Centre.

Here are some photos I took.

[Chewy2nd]

More plans have been submitted for the old Yates site

THIS striking Art Deco-inspired tower is set to rise from the ashes of what was once Blackpool’s iconic Yates’s site.

Three years after the old Wine Lodge went up in smoke in a suspected arson attack, ambitious plans have been submitted for the prime spot in the centre of Blackpool’s tourism heartland.

If approved by Blackpool Council the £3m plans – submitted by Manchester-based Northhold Group – will see national restaurant chains TGI Friday and Cosmo Buffet Restaurant become two of the three occupiers of the building.

The Talbot Square site has remained derelict since the historic Yates’s building – complete with its famed rotunda – were destroyed in a devastating blaze which caused £20m of damage and wrecked a number of businesses.

Blackpool Council’s planning committee will discuss the plans tomorrow.

They have already won the approval of town hall planning officials who are recommending councillors approve the scheme.

Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden said the building which replaced Yates’s had to be bold and of top quality.

He told The Gazette: “It’s in a key area of public space and it’s very important that what replaces the former Yates’ site is striking.

“There were questions over the original designs’ scale and proportion and these plans show progress as the developers have made positive responses.

“What’s important when these proposals come before the committee is that members are given assurances over the quality of the materials.

“We need a solid and substantial building that will encourage others to invest the same way – and the proof will be in the detail.”

Northhold Group’s original plans were sent back as they were deemed not grand enough for such an important site.

Now, following consultation with Blackpool Council, the local community and other interested parties, the Northhold Group has made a number of changes to the design of the building.

The application seeks the redevelopment of the site to create a landmark building with a 15m high Art-Deco inspired tower including a clock and curved balcony in place of the rotunda that featured on the former Yates’s Building.

The proposal represents a £3m investment in Blackpool and will complement the recent public realm improvements that have been made in and around Talbot Square.

Should planning consent be granted, the developers anticipate a quick commitment from a third interested party to join TGI Fridays and Cosmo Buffet.

A spokesman for Northhold said: “We believe the introduction of two well-known restaurant operators into this area of Blackpool will assist in the continued efforts to regenerate the resort and aide in the continued revival of Blackpool as a cultural and holiday destination.

“In addition, once fully let it is expected that the development will create up to 70 part-time and full-time jobs.”

If permission is granted, work on the site is expected to start in this summer.

More than 100 firefighters tackled the fire at Yate’s in February, 2009.

Fire officers and police said it was started deliberately.

Blackpool Gazette

[Zim Flyer]

The jury's out for me on it, it could be better it could be worse, it's certainly better than the empy space that's there at the moment and I do like the front of it.

[Chewy2nd]

It's definately an improvement on this suggestion from a while back


About Revills Hotel, I noticed the empty hotel next door, Bank House are actually making the place look more respectable now that it's more visible from the promenade, which is nice to see It looks like the area where Revills is is going to remain empty for a while now.

[Chewy2nd]

It's been approved!

AMBITIOUS plans for a modern art-deco building set to revamp Blackpool’s restaurant scene have been given the go-ahead.

Three years after the iconic Yates’s building was destroyed in a suspected arson attack, councillors have approved plans for a new landmark building on the site.

The £3m plans from the Manchester-based Northhold Group are set to bring two national chains to the town – popular grill TGI Friday’s and Pan-Asian buffet restaurant Cosmo.

But at Blackpool Council’s planning meeting last night, Pauline Lai, owner of the Mandarin restaurant, on Clifton Street, said the Talbot Square eateries would be bad for other businesses.

She said: “Between TGI’s and the Cosmo restaurant there will be 1,200 seats – all the restaurants in the FY1 area don’t have 1,200 seats and my concern is these two will suck everything in.”

But councillors, who are only allowed to consider planning issues, voted the plans through.

Blackpool Gazette

They added another render too

[Zim Flyer]

Originally Posted by Chewy2nd

It's definately an improvement on this suggestion from a while back


About Revills Hotel, I noticed the empty hotel next door, Bank House are actually making the place look more respectable now that it's more visible from the promenade, which is nice to see It looks like the area where Revills is is going to remain empty for a while now.

Hi Chewy I forgot about that design, my god it was a concrete monster wasn't it. With Blackpool's grey sky we often needs buildings with a bit of red in them (in my opinion) to stand out and grey concrete buildings simply don't work.

[Steel City Suburb]

Sine great pictures of Blackpool.

The public realm improvements are good, could be a bit stronger on introducing new mixes onto the promenade.

Now its time for the buildings to be brought up to scratch.

[russp]

Latest graffiti/street art done this weekend at the back of the Winter Gardens and the car park next door.

Images from www.liveinblackpool.co.uk









More images here : LiveInBlackpool



Last years are still visible at the car park on the Church St/Cookson St junction and inside the old bus station.

[Chewy2nd]

It's depressing that the weather has disrupted the launch of the Tower Festival Headlands

[Chewy2nd]

I hadn't been into town for a while, so I hadn't noticed the fantastic work done to Abingdon Street Market

Before


After

[Zim Flyer]

Totally agree Chewy, it really does look good doesn't it. Just shows that we do have some good buildings in Blackpool, we just need to polish the old ones up.

[ferge]

That looks superb! More of this please, quite frankly had you ask me where this was I wouldn't have thought Blackpool in a million years. Just goes to show how restoring elements of traditional streetscapes can really uplift and area.

[russp]

Did you notice above the main entrance in the door lintel, to what the original use of the building was?

This has been left exposed.

[b4mmy]

I'm in Blackpool at Rebellion this weekend.

WTF is wrong with people these days. I'm staying in a hotel that desperately needs a bit of a make over and it's run by nice people as far as I can tell. But the people staying here are either thick, arrogant, abusive, or perpetually pissed... And at least two of the above apply to all of them. I'd worry that if it was my place and I put some nice flat screen tellys in the rooms that they might get nicked or smashed up, and that new carpets would end up covered in sick, or that my knives and forks would go missing - along with the curtains and possibly one of the chambermaids.

It's tempting to say that Blackpool is a scruffy dump - but really, I just think the place attracts utter scumbags, and unfortunately this weekend, I'm one of em.

Looking forward to PiL this evening, will post some pics next week.

[LiamG]

Does anyone have any pictures of the pleasure beach?

Unfortunatley Blackpool will always attract the lowest of the lows from the country due to how cheap it is etc

[leauk]

Try www.pleasurebeachexperience.com for pictures of the Pleasure Beach.
Bonny Street Market needs some work on it too. The ground isn't that great and they could do with some new stalls.

[Octoman]

Off to Blackpool in a couple of weeks for my annual 'boys weekend' with my son.

Looking forward to seeing how things have progressed. Been doing this annually for four years now and the progress last year was by far the most.

Still needed to deal with some shabby seafront buildings. Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised.

[leauk]

I'm off to Blackpool, on Friday, for a week with my family.