Blackpool’s Tramtown closed until further notice

Visitor attraction Blackpool Tramtown has been forced to close until further notice due to an issue with an electric cable.

Concerns have been raised that there is no confirmed timescale for repairs and no certainty that the issue will be resolved.

Paul Galley, Project Manager at Blackpool Tramtown, said the closure is deeply affecting those who have dedicated years to preserving Blackpool’s tram heritage.

Cllr Galley, who is also the leader of Blackpool Council’s Conservative opposition, said: “The volunteers and supporters of Tramtown are hurting right now.

“We have no idea how long this work will take to fix, and we are not even sure if it will be fixed at all. What we need from the Council is no more empty promises, but real, physical support.”

Cllr Galley said he had sought answers from Blackpool Council’s leadership to confirm whether the Tramtown workshop would not be demolished and whether there would be support for the creation of a Tramtown Steering Group with volunteer representation.

He said this would allow Tramtown to become part of the Blackpool Heritage Museum Trust. However, he says he has not had answers on this.

Galley also has concerns that the tram shed which stores Blackpool’s precious heritage trams has wrongly been described as “warm and dry” by the leadership.

He says that in reality, it is damp and has a leaking roof, putting the trams themselves at risk of deterioration.

He added that he had asked Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, to come and meet him and the volunteers directly, to hear first-hand how they are being affected.”

Cllr Galley said. “Decisions about Tramtown should be based on informed understanding, not on advice from those with another agenda – one that is focused on demolishing the tram workshops and leaving historic trams to rot in a condemned tramshed with vague promises of future funding

“In the last three years the tramshed has been condemned, the engineers have all been made redundant, the volunteer drivers and conductors have been released, and now Tramtown is closed.

“This is a disaster for Blackpool and its unique cultural history. Despite assurances that a funding bid is being prepared, volunteers have not been engaged or consulted on its contents.“

“The Council say they are working on a funding bid, yet they will not engage with the very people who have done the work, built the case by turning up in all weathers, and kept Tramtown alive.

“What is the plan, and why are the volunteers being excluded?”

Cllr Galley added: “This is a human tragedy that has been playing out over many years. The Council needs to start telling the truth. At best, they may be able to run three trams this year and possibly next year. But without the workshop facilities needed to manufacture parts, there will come a point when no trams can run at all. Without Tramtown and the human regeneration that it brings, there is no credible business case that will ever secure the funding needed to protect Blackpool’s tram heritage.”

Cllr Lynn Williams, the Leader of Blackpool Council, says a final decision has not been made on whether Tramtown’s engineering shed, which is separate from the building which houses the trams, will be demolished.

She said at last week’s Full Council meeting that it would cost millions of pounds to properly renovate the site.

However, she said she was committed to short term and long term plans for the facility.

A new funding bid would be submitted shortly and there had been ongoing dialogue with the Heritage Lottery Fund.

She added: “It is most important that we focus on the way forward and deliver a sustainable future for Tram Town.”