Hopes of redeveloping a prominent site on Blackpool Promenade with a new hotel have been dashed for the time being, with the land now set for use as a car park.
The land in South Shore has been empty for 10 years since the former Tudor Rose Hotel was demolished in 2014, and plans for a £7.6m EasyHotel were shelved despite work starting.
Now developers have applied to Blackpool Council for temporary planning permission for a 55-space car park on the site with an entrance on Commercial Street.
They say the land has attracted fly-tipping and vermin including rats, and they want to use the site as a car park for three years while more permanent potential developments are explored.
Documents submitted to the council on behalf of Hallmark Developments NW Ltd say: “It is located in a prominent position within the promenade of Blackpool, and the proposed car park will provide visitor/tourist parking for the seafront, particularly in the summer months when Blackpool Promenade is at its busiest.”
A planning brief warns the site has been derelict for some time and has suffered “significant issues with fly-tipping, waste, anti-social behaviour, fires and break-ins”.
It adds: “Additionally, the site was also invaded with vermin and rats and the applicant appointed Rentokil Pest Control and this has now been resolved.”
The Easy Hotel Group began building a 104-room hotel on the site in 2020, reported to be a £7.6m investment, but work stopped in 2021 leaving just a steel frame which has now been removed.
EasyHotel said the scheme had become unviable due to its small size and the impact of rising costs due to the Covid pandemic.
The proposals for the car park include resurfacing the site, and installing lighting and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras. There would be 55 car spaces, six motorbike spaces and three EV (electric vehicle) charging points.
The entrance from Commercial Street would use an existing access.
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