Public meeting on plans to demolish hundreds of homes in resort’s Revoe ward

Residents in Blackpool’s Revoe area are to have their say about plans to demolish hundreds of homes in a controversial £90m regeneration scheme.

Blackpool Council says areas of the town urgently need better housing and the authority plans to transform a large area of the Revoe ward, off Central Drive.

The council is looking to bulldoze between 300 and 400 homes and replace them with modern housing, using a £90m grant previously awarded by former Conservative minister Michael Gove as part of the then government’s Homes England agenda.

However opponents of the project say that in many cases, people want to stay in their homes and are fearful where they will go once they are demolished.

There are fears that the old homes will be replaced with just 230 new properties.

This week a meeting is being staged at the Ibbison Court Community Centre, on Ibbison Court off Central Drive, on Thursday January 29 at 7.30pm.

It has been organised by community group Revoe Together and is seperate from the council-run community drop-in sessions which have been held on the issue.

As well as residents and community leaders, the event is expected to be attended by Blackpool South MP, Chris Webb.

The Rev Matt Lockwood, the leader of Beacon church on Reads Avenue, has been a vocal critic of the plans and said he expected to be at the meeting this week.

He says that while the area does desperately need regeneration, many residents feel that knocking down homes is not the answer.

He said previously: “The level of consultation over this has not been good at all and a lot of the people affected are angry and scared.

“I think a much better idea would have been to use the money to actually improve the homes that are there, rather than undertake a mass demolition exercise.

“Of course some of these homes are not in a good state and demolition would probably not be a bad thing. But many of them aren’t – they are solid, warm and well-made homes where some people have lived for decades.

“Many people feel under pressure and that they are being evicted from their homes against their will.”

MP Chris Webb: “It’s clear that Revoe and the Central Drive area is in need of regeneration and if done properly it will improve housing quality, health outcomes and provide opportunity.

“But regeneration can’t come at an unacceptable human cost and the people who live in these streets should not be treated as obstacles to progress – they are Blackpool residents who deserve fairness, dignity and proper support.

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “I can’t comprehend how any community leader can say regenerating one of the most deprived areas of the country is a bad thing.

“Everybody who lives in or visits Blackpool knows we need to invest and regenerate the area around Central Drive. Our residents and communities have been telling us that for decades.

“People in Blackpool deserve a better standard of living than some of the housing we’ve seen in the area so far.”

Residents have established a community action group to represent their views and are seeking advice, including legal support.. The aims, agreed through through public meetings and community discussion groups are:

• To work with the Council to create a more inclusive consultation process around the plans – including refurbishment of properties as set out in the 2019 Masterplan rather than mass demolition.

• A right of return, so that residents who care about the area have the opportunity to move back in once the houses have been improved. Residents would then have buy-in rather than being asked to contribute to plans they won’t benefit from.

• A clearly communicated plan and proper compensation for residents for moving out of their homes, their neighbourhood and their network of support.