Plans submitted for more offices at Talbot Gateway

Plans have been submitted for a new £45m office development in Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway on former Apollo 2000 site.

Full planning permission is being sought for a 52,950 sq ft office building off Talbot Road, which would bring over 1,000 additional employees into Blackpool town centre.

The land, on the site of the former Apollo 2000 store, sits within the boundary of the Talbot Gateway development around Blackpool North train station and will bring an additional economic benefit to the town centre.

Blackpool Council and its development partner Muse are in advanced discussions with an organisation that wishes to develop and occupy a new office within the town centre.

This office would be the fifth phase of the £350m Talbot Gateway development, which is bringing over 8,000 workers and students into Blackpool town centre.

Cllr Mark Smith, Cabinet Member for Levelling Up (Place) at Blackpool Council, said: “This is another major step forward in our plans to make Blackpool better and boost our local economy.

“The area around the train station was previously a desolate area in desperate need of regeneration. Over the last ten years we have regenerated it into a desirable location for businesses looking for quality office space on the Fylde coast. Our initial ambition and investment to build the earlier phases of the Talbot Gateway has led us to be in this position where more organisations are approaching us to help them move their jobs into the town centre.

“In turn, that has a huge potential for the private sector to continue to invest in Blackpool, creating more opportunities for business and creating more year-round, well-paid jobs for local people”

Alan McBride, Technical Director at Muse, said: “The fifth phase of Talbot Gateway will provide a further catalyst for Blackpool’s renaissance, helping to spur additional economic growth in the town by delivering yet more future-proofed workspace to benefit business in the region.

“Our long-standing partnership with Blackpool Council has already played a pivotal role in the regeneration of the town, and this development would mark yet another notable staging point on the journey towards reframing this iconic seaside destination.”

Phase one, including new Grade A offices, Sainsbury’s supermarket and an upgraded 650 space multi-storey car park, was completed in 2014. Phase two, a new 144 bed Holiday Inn hotel and Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurant opened on 1 May 2024. A tramway extension, interchange with the train station and surrounding retail units are due to open next month.

Phase three, a Civil Service Hub office for over 3,000 government workers is under construction and expected to open in 2025, while planning consent has been granted for a Multiversity campus for Blackpool and the Fylde College in phase four, bringing up to 3,000 more students and staff into the area.

The Talbot Gateway is a sustainable development regenerating the heart of Blackpool around the main train station, which currently receives two million passengers per year, with the number expected to rise as new developments are completed.

The site is accessible via train, tram and bus, as well as a 650-space car park off Talbot Road. Plans for an additional car park at the corner of Church Street and King Street will be submitted later this year.

For more information on regeneration plans to make Blackpool better, visit www.blackpool.gov.uk/betterblackpool

The Talbot Gateway continues to offer options for private businesses to invest, with development opportunities around the area, as well as retail opportunities in and around the new tramway interchange.