Blackpool Pleasure Beach unveils plans for new holiday accommodation

The leisure attraction is seeking planning permission to use a stretch of the Ocean Boulevard as 18 holiday apartments in the shadow of the famous Big One rollercoaster.

They would be managed by the nearby Boulevard Hotel with guests able to access facilities there.

The units running south from Watson Road are empty and have become difficult to let because they are too far from the main entrance to the fun park.

Now it is hoped to give them a new lease of life by creating apartments with guests able to check in at the Boulevard Hotel, and use its parking, security and meal facilities.

The Pleasure Beach says the success of its existing accommodation, which also includes the Big Blue Hotel, shows there “is a need for additional high quality visitor accommodation” for people wanting to stay near the park.

A planning statement accompanying the application says: “This scheme is being developed on the back of two renowned hotels owned by our client.

“These hotels have a proven track record for the high standard of their accommodation offer which in turn will mean that guests booking this new accommodation will know the level of quality that they can expect.”

It adds: “Currently this ‘shop window’ includes a strip of boarded up buildings.

“This investment that the Pleasure Beach are committing to will not only smarten up and modernise the promenade frontage but, by opening up these buildings for visitors to rent for holidays, new activity and life will be injected into this part of the sea frontage during the day but also into the evenings.”

If planning permission is granted the work would be done between January and April to minimise disruption.

Hoteliers group StayBlackpool has raised concerns about the increasing amount of short let accommodation in the resort.

Director Ian White said: “In Blackpool with so much over capacity of short stay bed spaces, the council must act swiftly to define the goal posts and challenges that could easily emerge.”

He added “it was vital the council adopted measures to prevent other accommodation becoming ‘unmanaged party houses.”

The planning statement for the Pleasure Beach scheme says the holiday apartments would be managed by the hotel including with a telephone line linked to the hotel help desk and access to security and night porters.

Ocean Boulevard opened in 1990 but planning documents say by the 2000s a large section had already shut down, and the subsequent closure of the southern entrance to the park added to its woes..

Units at the northern end of the stretch, which includes the Ripley’s Believe It or Not attraction, have fared better due to being closer to the main entrance and thus benefiting from busier footfall.

Over the years the units have been repainted in bright colours, but the Pleasure Beach says it needs to find a solution to secure their long term viability.

The 120-room Boulevard Hotel opened in 2019 and has previously been named as one of the best hotels in the world by travel website TripAdvisor.

It was built on the site of The Star Pub, which was also part of Ocean Boulevard until being demolished in 2018.