We reject your plans to knock down our homes, angry residents tell councillors

Angry residents in Blackpool’s Revoe area did not hold back last night after being given the chance to have their say about controversial plans to demolish homes.

Blackpool Council invited residents, stakeholders and businesses to take part in a new consultation on the proposed Central Housing Regeneration Area Framework focusing on the Revoe area.

The council is looking to bulldoze around 300 homes on several streets off Central Drive 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.

Leading councillors argue that the project will improve residents’ lives by replacing poor quality housing in one of the most deprived wards in England.

The meeting will be led by Cllr Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council and Cllr Jim Hobson, Bloomfield ward councillor.

But at the meeting in the Ibbison Court Community Centre, they were confronted by both home owners and people living in rented accommodation who do not want the scheme.

At one point in the meeting, one resident staged an on-the-spot poll asking for a show of hands of people in the room who opposed the project and wanted to keep their homes. The response was overwhelming as hands went up in the air.

Cllr Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “I understand it is difficult and worrying. These are your homes. But we have to be honest about this area. Central Drive is one of the most densely populated areas outside London.

“What concerns me is our young people here. Children here face greater challenges than in other areas – and that is not fair.”

Cllr Jim Hobson attempted to tell the residents about his personal experience of how moving from a grim housing area in Liverpool to a more modern development transformed the lives of himself, his siblings and parents. He said it was “revelatory” and he wanted to see similar improvements for residents in Revoe.

But residents were having none of it.

Many were worried that the amount of money they would be offered for their homes would leave them seriously out of pocket—and worried about what sort of homes they would be moved to.

One woman said, “You’re destroying this community. You say no plans are going through, yet we’re already seeing houses being boarded up.”

Another said: “There’s been no community input – you’re telling us, not asking us. Tell us how this is going to benefit people in this room. Moving to another house will cost me an extra £25,000—where will the money come from?

“We’re picking up the bill. It’s in your favour. How will it benefit residents now?”

Cllr Hobson said: “It doesn’t. I’m doing this for the future of the children.”

But he was asked, “What about us, now?”

Another bone of contention was whether the council would implement a compulsory purchase order on homes. Residents were told there was currently no CPO.

But when one resident asked “So I can stay in my house?”, they were told the council may apply for a CPO.

Residents were urged to speak to the council’s teams to establish their own personal circumstances on a one-to-one basis.

Other issues included whether the council was properly addressing the well-being of residents after the tragic death of Alistair Taylor, who took his life after the compulsory purchase of his Milbourne Street home for the Multiversity scheme.

After the meeting, resident John Dacks said, “We want the houses which need it, to be refurbished and keep this community together, instead of them being knocked down. People here do not want this.”

In order to progress with the proposals, a planning application will need to be submitted to the council’s planning department. No date has been announced for that at this stage.

Drop‑in sessions will be held at:

Tuesday 10 March – Ibbison Court Community Centre, 4pm-6pm

Thursday 12 March – Blackpool Sports Centre, 11am-1pm

Tuesday 17 March – Ibbison Court Community Centre, 3pm-6:30pm

Thursday 19 March – Solaris Centre Reception, 11am-1pm

Monday 23 March – Moor Park Health & Leisure Centre, 1pm-3pm

Wednesday 25 March – Palatine Leisure Centre, 9:30am-11:30am

Friday 27 March – Revoe Library, 1pm-3pm.

A map of the Central Housing Regeneration Area is available within the consultation materials.