Blackpool Council buys Tower and Winter Gardens
In a move to try and prevent tourist numbers declining yet further in the Blackpool area, the Blackpool Council has today announced the purchase of Blackpool Tower and the Winter Gardens from entrepreneur Trevor Hemmings. The total cost is in the region of £39 million which includes a £10 million refurbishment of the ageing Tower.
Trevor Hemmings has long been represented in the area having various investments in and around the region although his Blackpool assets were originally going to be the springboard for a complete revamp of the area. There were high hopes that Blackpool would become the "Vegas of the Northwest" but unfortunately Manchester was awarded the super casino licence which Trevor Hemmings had been hoping for in 2007.
As a consequence the expected redevelopment of Blackpool and its various tourist attractions has stalled somewhat over the last few years although the council would appear to have a very proactive and a very interesting plan for the future. Whether this will be enough to turn around the ailing area, which was once a boom town for UK tourists, remains to be seen but finally there is some movement and hopefully regeneration will follow in and around the Blackpool area.
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