Blackpool: Plans for new £30m promenade hotel approved

An artist's impression of how the 143-bedroom hotel could look

A proposed £30m hotel has been given the go-ahead by town hall planners with developers pledging to start work as soon as possible.

The application by Singapore-based Fragrance Group for a 143-bedroom hotel was unanimously approved by Blackpool Council's planning committee.

It is set to be built between Woodfield Road, St Chad's Road and Bolton Street.

The site currently lies empty after St Chad's Hotel, which had stood on the land, was demolished in May.

Alistair Shepherd, representing Fragrance Group, told the meeting the company had consulted with local stakeholders.

"The applicant is one with a proven track record of building and managing hotels of a very high standard," he said.

Once open, about 40 full-time jobs would be created as well as up to 30 part-time jobs during peak season, the meeting heard.

'Business travellers'

Mr Shepherd said: "The site sits mid-way between the Pleasure Beach and the tower, which is a long stretch so people can come in to eat or have a drink, and I think the landscaped area at the front will be very attractive on the promenade.

"The scheme will appeal to a wider range of guests including business travellers who are essential to the Blackpool economy."

Fragrance Group has recently invested about £70m opening a Mercure Hotel and an Ibis Styles Hotel in the Devon town of Paignton.

Hotelier Stewart Norris, owner of the Sutton Park Guesthouse on Woodfield Road, and Ian White, of hoteliers group StayBlackpool, also addressed the meeting with concerns raised about parking as the area was "already busy in high season".

But overall they welcomed the application including the proposals for landscaping.