Blackpool Council is to buy Blackpool Tower and the Winter Gardens complex, following the awarding of a £39m government grant.

Today, Communities minister Rosie Winterton announced the funding to bring the two attractions under public ownership, in a bid regenerate Blackpool and boost tourism.

The properties, which are to be bought from operator Leisure Parcs, will be publicly owned for the first time, but privately run by Merlin Entertainments.

Winterton said: “Today’s announcement is part and parcel of concerted action on the part of the government to help seaside towns thrive.”

The government says the forthcoming major redevelopment of the Tower and complex will attract 800,000 more visitors a year to the Tower, bringing in an extra £36m a year in tourism revenues. It says the acquisition will also create around 1,000 jobs.

The investment is a mixture of European, national, regional and local funding. It breaks down as follows:

• £14 m from the Northwest European Regional Development Fund;
• £7.9m from the  Northwest Regional Development Agency;
• £10m from Blackpool Council itself;
• £7m from the Homes and Communities Agency

Sir Howard Bernstein, Chair of ReBlackpool, said: “This is a bold but necessary initiative which provides the best possible platform for strengthening the destination role of the town.

“I am confident that this will result in a significant increase in jobs and visitor numbers and will weld together all the other valuable projects and programmes which are designed to make Blackpool an attractive place to live, visit and invest.”

Last week, on 25 March, the Department for Communities and Local Government launched a new strategy for UK seaside development, which set aside £5m grant funding to help councils regenerate their coastal areas.

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