Pledge to rid town centre of eyesore former hotels

The spotlight has fallen on a row of abandoned hotels on the corner of Queen Street and Abingdon Street, which include the former Allandale Hotel.

The boarded-up properties have been empty for a number of years, with repeated concerns raised over the negative impact the site opposite Central Library is having.

Part of the site is owned by Blackpool Council.

Coun Gerard Walsh, himself a town centre hotelier, told councillors he heard “first hand from visitors what they think of the resort, and most of the complaints and concerns are often related to dilapidated buildings.”

Addressing a meeting of the full council, he added: “Given that we as a council own a number of buildings that are in a dilapidated state, 79 Abingdon Street being one of these, what message or signal does this show visitors?”

He warned there were “a number of rundown properties that are blighting our town centre, especially in key tourist areas.”

Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said she shared the concerns but plans to redevelop the site on Abingdon Street had fallen through, with issues over ownership of other parts of the site being to blame.

However she said fresh plans for the buildings were currently being drawn up.

Coun Williams added: “A lot comes down to what we can do in terms of finance and what the priorities are.

“Absolutely unkempt properties have an impact on communities and in the town centre area. Hopefully we will see some improvement around the Allandale shortly.”