'Lots of interest' in Blackpool's oldest pier sale

Estate agents say they are looking for "sensible offers" for the Victorian Blackpool North pier

There has already been "quite a lot of interest" in Blackpool's North Pier, the estate agent handling its sale has said.

The Grade II-listed landmark, which opened on 21 May 1863, was bought in 2011 by the Sedgwick family, which also owns the other two piers in the Lancashire resort.

The Victorian pier went on the market in July.

Richard Baldwin, who is involved in sale negotiations with commercial property agent Newmark, said: "We are continuing to discuss the sale with a number of parties but can't say more at this stage."

The Grade II-listed North Pier opened in Blackpool in 1863

Blackpool North Pier is being sold as a fully equipped freehold business, complete with its well-known attractions, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

They include the 1,465-seat Joe Longthorne Theatre, an amusement arcade, a gaming centre, a family entertainment centre, a two-tier Victorian carousel, an electric train and a range of cafés, bars and takeaways.

The pier, which predates the resort's tower by 31 years, stretches about 1,410 ft (430m) out from the shore.

It was built from a wooden deck above a substructure of cast iron girders.

North Pier currently employs 10 full-time and three part-time members of staff and hires about 40 seasonal workers.

The town's other two piers, the Central and South piers, were opened in 1868 and 1893 respectively.