Blackpool Magistrates' Court relocation plans unveiled

The government awarded £40m of Levelling Up funding towards the development of Blackpool Courthouse

The final vision for a new multimillion-pound courthouse have been revealed.

A full planning application has been submitted to Blackpool Council for the relocation of Blackpool Magistrates' Court from Chapel Street to the corner of Devonshire Road and Talbot Road.

Images have been unveiled of the three-storey building set to transform the former Devonshire Road Hospital site and be a new gateway into the town.

It will have 10 courts.

The courthouse will also have judicial chambers, custody facilities and public waiting facilities as well as a new pedestrian and vehicular access to Talbot Road with the partial removal of an existing wall, if approved.

Proposals to relocate the courthouse - which is currently closed after crumbling concrete was found in the building - have been in the pipeline for the past few years, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The government awarded £40m of Levelling Up funding towards the development in November.

The plans also include car parking for up to 95 vehicles, with disabled parking and cycle parking.

Planning documents said: "The scale and positioning of the proposed courthouse on the site will help create a gateway into Blackpool for those travelling into Blackpool from the east, whilst complementing the existing streetscape."

The main public entrance will be from Talbot Road with a security checkpoint for all visitors to the courthouse, including airport-style metal detectors.

The courthouse needs to relocate in order to make way for future phases of the £300m Blackpool Central leisure development to include indoor theme parks, hotels and shops.

It has been closed since 1 November after the discovery of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in the building, but is expected to reopen in another month.

The council has owned the Devonshire Road site since 2020, following the demolition of the former hospital in 2007.

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