£1 million investment to kick start South Shore regeneration

I’m delighted to announce a £1 million investment in South Shore, with the majority of the funding coming from the Pride of Place Impact Fund I secured.

Plans are now being finalised for projects that will improve the area and support residents, businesses and community organisations.

The Pride in Place Impact Fund was created by the government to deliver visible improvements in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The funding is designed to improve local pride, regenerate neglected spaces, strengthen communities and create safer, more welcoming environments.

When the fund was announced in October, I made clear my vision for the majority to be directed towards South Shore, which has been overlooked for decades, as previous governments focused investment in the town centre, despite it facing some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country.

I’ve spent months pushing South Shore up the government agenda – taking the case directly to senior ministers including the Chancellor and the Prime Minister, while also bringing ministers to Waterloo Road and Bond Street to see the challenges first-hand.

Earlier this year I announced that part of the funding would support the reopening of Counselling in the Community’s South Shore hub, helping expand access to mental health support in the area and bringing a prominent Waterloo Road unit back into community use.

Now a much wider package of projects is being finalised, with investment set to include support for young people and youth-focused provision, improvements to the street scene and public realm, infrastructure upgrades, support for local businesses, the revitalisation of buildings and neglected sites and the creation and improvement of community spaces.

A £415,000 Commercial Improvement Scheme along Waterloo Road and part of Lytham Road is set to begin. This includes a £150,000 investment in improving shop fronts, with local and independent businesses and charities set to benefit from grant funding.

An Urban Greening project will expand on the native planting already seen on roundabouts and grass verges completed last year with money I secured and a new South Shore in Bloom group will now be established. 

Blackpool Illuminations’ team is also exploring more vibrant and creative street lighting to the area.

Further details on individual projects will be announced in the coming weeks as plans are finalised, but residents are already noticing small changes to the area including colourful benches and planters, more greenery in the area and deep cleans of pavements and shopfronts.

A street art mural, You’ve Got Soul Boy, has also recently been completed by the Coastal Colour Club – a collaboration between Blackpool hip hop collective House of Wingz and local graffiti artists Will and James Panter, who are also responsible for the colourful planters and benches in the area.

You’ve Got Soul Boy was funded by Blackpool Council through Community Cohesion funding I secured following the civil disorder that broke out in the town in summer 2024. The mural can be seen from the promenade at the top of Waterloo Road on the site of a former hotel and depicts a boy at the seaside wearing a Northern Soul t-shirt.

Inspired by a local child the team met during community engagement sessions, the mural reflects the identity, pride and modern heritage of South Shore.

Now work is set to begin on a separate mural on Bond Street, The Big HeArt Project, by internationally acclaimed street artists Blackpool-based Seca One (Christian Fenn) and Aylo (Hayley Garner). 

Jointly funded through the Arts Council and the Pride in Place Impact Fund, the artists are currently engaging with school children from Thames Academy and South Shore residents to develop their design, with spraying due to begin in the first week of June.

The Pride in Place money is also being used to fix the roof and reopen the Counselling in the Community building on Waterloo Road, as well as supporting the purchase of the building.

The council is also looking at improvements to the environment around both Blackpool South and Blackpool Pleasure Beach train stations, as well as exploring the potential purchase of empty properties and land to bring them back into use.

I’m currently lobbying the government for a £20m Pride in Place fund for South Shore, and I hope the £1m investment marks the start of wider regeneration work in the area.

A council-led Masterplan has been developed to provide a coordinated blueprint for redevelopment, alongside a community-led People’s Plan developed by Empowerment Charity.

The investment responds directly to priorities raised by residents through the South Shore People’s Plan, which highlights the community’s priorities across 13 key themes including improving high streets and retail infrastructure, expanding youth services, supporting local businesses, tackling derelict buildings, providing educational and employment opportunities and building a stronger sense of community identity.

We are also seeing more private investment coming to South Shore. The new Glass Tower hotel, soon to open street food market on Flagstaff Gardens and the Upside Down House visitor attraction by South Pier prove that confidence in South Shore is growing.

We now have the government’s attention, community backing and a shared vision for the future of the area. I’ll keep pushing for more investment so we can continue building on this momentum.