18 July 2008
Experience a new little piece of Seawall
The first of the new parades along Blackpool’s Central Promenade
open to the public on July 22.
Sections of the new parades to the North and South of St Chad’s
headland will be opened up, allowing advanced access for the
summer. Other sections of the promenade will also then be opened up
as the works continue.
The work at the Central Seafront is a £73million coastal
protection scheme funded by central Government, the NWDA and the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project is being led
by ReBlackpool.
Cllr Maxine Callow, Cabinet Member for Tourism and Regeneration,
said: “The multi-million pound scheme along Blackpool’s famous
promenade is both replacing our 100-year-old seawall with
state-of-the-art coastal defences and transforming the seafront
into a desirable, modern place to explore and really making the
most of showcasing our beach.
“The new sections feature the finished sand-coloured concrete
and not the temporary grey tarmac surface used on St Chad’s
headland, which has been open since summer 2008. This means
visitors to the new sections of promenade will start to really get
a feel for the quality of the completed sea defence and of how the
promenade expansion scheme will shape up.”
Peter White, Executive Director of Development at the NWDA,
said: “Blackpool’s historic seafront is a huge part of what
attracts millions of visitors to the resort every year, making a
valuable contribution to the regional economy, and it is essential
to protect and improve it.
“Such high quality projects make a hugely positive impact on the
image of Blackpool as a destination and will help to attract more
visitors and businesses to the area, so it is excellent to see the
work at Central Promenade is progressing so well.”
Blackpool’s Urban Regeneration Company, ReBlackpool undertook
the initial planning, design and secured funding for the parades,
which forms part of the wider sea defence scheme and regeneration
master plan to transform the town.
Doug Garrett, chief executive of ReBlackpool, commented; “The
work on the parades will provide important links to the headlands
which aim to reconnect the town with the beach. It is the initial
platform to enable us to continue to build new innovative
regeneration plans for Blackpool’s seafront experience.
“We listened to the community during the design process; they
requested that the parades be both welcoming for pedestrians and
useful so we have included seating areas and eventually showers for
beach users” he adds.
The newly opened sections will still need a small additional
amount of work to create a ramp allowing additional access from the
promenade. Future work will also see planting and signage
added.
Elaine Smith, Chair of the Blackpool Civic Trust, was one of the
first people to experience the new parades as the group paid a
visit on July 15. She said: “The new seawall is a welcome addition
to the Blackpool coast. I always knew that it was going to stop the
tide from flooding, but once we had visited it and saw just how
well it works, it made the world of difference. Everyone at the
Blackpool Civic Trust is very impressed by it”.
The four-year building programme is Blackpool’s biggest ever
civil engineering project, funded by the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and constructed by
Blackpool Council in conjunction with their construction partners
Birse Coastal. It will see the rebuilding of the 3.2km of promenade
and sea wall between the Sandcastle and North Pier.”
ENDS
Note to editors:
The Coastal Protection project has seen Blackpool’s sea defences
repaired and improved. Six new headlands are also being created to
improve public access to the beach and promenade.
For more information please contact Suzie Joyce, Communications
Officer, on (01253) 477055 or email suzie.joyce@blackpool.gov.uk