Workers have been evacuated from brand new £100M DWP office in Blackpool after a large piece of metal cladding fell from the building.
Shortly after 10:30am this morning (Wednesday 7th January) civil servants and visitors were instructed to exit the brand new DWP offices in Blackpool town centre following safety concerns, after the cladding fell from the seventh floor directly above the main entrance.
A cordoned area was placed at the front of the building after parts of the building’s façade were seen missing. People working nearby described seeing debris at the front of the site as the area was secured and access restricted. No serious injuries have been reported.
The building, known as Fylde View, is a seven-storey office development located close to Blackpool North railway station costing £100 million. It forms a key part of the Talbot Gateway regeneration scheme, one of the largest investment projects Blackpool has seen in recent decades. The workspace officially opened earlier this year and was designed to bring thousands of civil service jobs into the town centre.
IMAGE: Frontage of buidling with parts missing.
Fylde View provides more than 200,000 square feet of modern office accommodation and is primarily occupied by the Department for Work and Pensions. Around 3,000 civil servants are expected to work from the building, consolidating several former office locations into a single headquarters. The project was promoted as a major economic boost for Blackpool, increasing footfall for local businesses and supporting long-term regeneration.
The development is reported to have cost around £100 million and was backed by government investment alongside local regeneration funding. At the time of its opening, council leaders described the building as a landmark investment which would help modernise public services and support the town’s wider economic ambitions.
However, today’s evacuation has raised questions from members of the public given the building’s recent completion. One person outside the cordon told Central Radio: “It’s a brand new building, and it’s already falling apart.”
It is not yet known what caused the issue with the façade or how long access restrictions will remain in place.
Central Radio has reached out to Blackpool Council for comment.
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