Developers set to move onto former Blackpool Bonny Street Market site

Bonny Street Market closed last November after the council terminated the lease because the site is part of land required for the £300m Blackpool Central leisure development.

It has now been confirmed the area will be used for the rest of this year by contractor Ballast Nedam which is building a multi-storey car park as the enabling phase of the scheme.

Once the structure is completed, the 1,306 space multi-storey car park is due to be handed over to the council for fitting out. It has previously been said it is due to be operational by this August.

Ballast Nedam’s contract also includes construction of an access road to the car park, which requires it to relocate its current offices and storage areas to the site of the former Bonny Street Market.

A licence for use of the site has been agreed up until December 8 this year.

The market had traded for 37 years, seven days a week between April and November, before its closure followed by the stalls being finally cleared away in January.

It had been given an extra season to trade after stallholders argued they had not been given enough notice.

Site investigations for further phases of the Blackpool Central development are expected to be carried out later this year.

The next phase of the scheme due to be a heritage quarter and public square on Central Drive.

There is full planning permission for holiday accommodation, restaurants and bars within the heritage quarter, and outline permission for three indoor theme parks, a 200-room hotel plus bars, restaurants and outdoor entertainment space on the main site.

Last November Levelling Up minister Michael Gove visited Blackpool to announce £40m of funding towards demolishing and relocating the Blackpool Magistrates Court building to free up space for these further phases of investment.

A replacement courthouse is expected to be built on the site of the former Devonshire Road Hospital on Devonshire Road.

Up until recently the land had been occupied by a temporary ambulance station, but is vacant once more after the opening of the new station on Waterloo Road in South Shore.