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Blackpool is to get a vibrant, new Irish bar which is set take over the premises of the former resort mainstay Brannigan...
20/08/2026

Blackpool is to get a vibrant, new Irish bar which is set take over the premises of the former resort mainstay Brannigans Bar.

The new venue, to be called Nelly Mulligans, is being launched at the Market Street site by the operators of Ma Kelly’s, who have established a string of popular outlets in the town.

Brannigans Bar, which for many years was one of Blackpool’s busiest weekend venues, closed earlier this year.

Nelly Mulligans will be offering live music seven days a week, live screenings of all major sports, multiple giant screens, drinks offers and bar snacks.

Andy Johnston, marketing manager for the project, said the new venue would be different from Blackpool’s existing Irish bars by being a predominantly live music venue, which will also screen major live sports events.

He said: “It’s a live music venue which will include single performers, live bands, Irish acts and commercial acts as well.

“We’ll be screening plenty of live sports and there’ll be lots of Irish drinks, including excellent Guinness, proper Irish Tayto crisps and some really good merchandise. This will be the place to go for an out-and-out good time in Blackpool.”

No opening date has been confirmed yet.

A planning application to Blackpool Council will be needed for the signage and there is still plenty of work to be done inside the premises, including a complete new set of bespoke furnishing.

The operators already have a stable of bars in the town – Ma Kellys Station (Talbot Road, near North Station) Ma Kellys Foxhall (Foxhall Road, Central) Ma Kellys Showboat (Queen’s Promenade at the former Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and Ma Kellys On The Prom (Promenade, formerly the Reflex bar/club venue).

The original Brannigans first opened on Market Street during the 1990s as a massive, multi-level nightlife hotspot, later closing and transforming into other venues such as Revolution de Cuba before the name and space saw a revival in 2016.

It became one of the best known venues in Blackpool, living up to the resort’s ‘party town’ image.

The new venue, Nelly Mulligans, will be opened with great fanfare when the launch date arrives.

Proposals to use part of the former Odeon Cinema building in Blackpool as a storage facility have been lodged with plann...
19/08/2026

Proposals to use part of the former Odeon Cinema building in Blackpool as a storage facility have been lodged with planners.

The former Odeon multiplex on Rigby Road permanently closed on June 5, 2023, after its lease expired.

However, in June this year more than half of the building was re-opened as a major entertainment complex by operator Tenpin.

The Tenpin site includes 24 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, an immersive 4D laser tag arena for high-energy group battles, Houdini’s escape rooms, private karaoke rooms, a games arcade, modern darts, a children’ play area and a bar with light bites.

In spite of this, there is still considerable space left in the other side of the building which currently lies vacant.

The building’s owners, Preston-based developer Austringer Capital, which operates locally as AIM Land Ltd, have been advised by property agents that only two uses would be deemed appropriate to fill the premises – either cinema use or storage.

A planning application for a nine-screen cinema has also been submitted, as a separate proposal.

The owners are hoping to have planning permission for both options, in the event of further developments to make use of the building.

This application is for use of part of the ground floor of the premises as self storage (Class B8 Unit), alterations to the rear elevations and car parking.

A Planning Statement on behalf of the storage scheme said: “Self-storage facilities offer the rental of space for storage purposes comprising a variety of different unit sizes to a broad base of both domestic and commercial customers.

“Modern facilities can blend into any context or neighbourhood and consumer demands for convenient and well-located self-storage facilities have increased substantially over time.

“Such facilities are considered to be a value-added community service business which provides an intangible benefit to the community in which they operate.

“The proposal will deliver approximately five employment positions on the site and has the potential to generate one employment position per 28sq metre by supporting SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise).

“The proposal has the potential therefore to support 48 employment positions in the local area.”

A previous application to use the full building for storage was refused, but the applicants say this proposals will use only a small part of the building for storage and the scheme will not effect the newly renovated front of the building.

The report concludes: “The evidence provided demonstrates that the proposal delivers sustainable development by delivering net gains in the economic, social and environmental objectives that underpin the delivery of sustainable development.

“The proposal will provide a self-storage facility at an accessible and prominent location that will bring back into use vacant floorspace.”

The company responsible for South Pier has said it will consider how to refine its plans after a planning inspector agre...
19/08/2026

The company responsible for South Pier has said it will consider how to refine its plans after a planning inspector agreed with Blackpool Council’s decision to refuse permission for new rides.

Blackpool Pier Company, which also owns Central Pier, wanted to operate a Star Flyer and Log Flume either side of South Pier for six months each year but was refused planning permission by the council.

In rejecting the applications, the local authority concluded the plans would harm the character and appearance of the area; constitute piecemeal development; harm the heritage assets of the pier and Blackpool Tower; and go against its own development plan for the Promenade.

Following a three-day public hearing, in which the only reporter present was from The Blackpool Lead, government planning inspector Paul Freer agreed with the council’s decision and rejected an appeal.

A union which represents some of the 140 managerial staff at Blackpool Victoria Hospital who are facing demotion as part...
18/08/2026

A union which represents some of the 140 managerial staff at Blackpool Victoria Hospital who are facing demotion as part of a savings drive has blasted the proposals.

The Managers in Partnership (MiP) union says the action will have negligible effects on savings and will only have a detrimental effect on the service.

The employees affected say their morale is at an all-time low as cash-strapped Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust looks to make saving of around half a million pounds from the move alone.

The employees at Band 6-8 level have been informed that a 30-day consultation period has been launched into the proposals, which would see their salaries dropped down to one pay grade below. The consultation is due to end on August 30.

Angry managerial staff have hit out at the move and say it would have serious consequences.

In response, the Trust says it will help to “strengthen accountability, improve decision-making and make sure our services are aligned to the way patients receive their care.”

But Jon Restell, chief executive of MiP, said: “Forcing staff to take pay cuts is no way to balance the books.

“It not only harms morale at a time of extraordinary financial and operational pressure, it risks undermining the Trust’s ability to deliver safe services for patients and puts further pressure on already stretched clinical teams.

“These managers lead teams, oversee performance and support the delivery of safe, innovative and efficient services.

“They are also the very people tasked with delivering the transformation and organisational change work already underway at Blackpool hospital.

“Who will continue that work if the roles are downgraded?

“Moving these jobs to a lower pay band will not make the responsibilities they carry disappear.

“The Trust needs to be clear about what work will continue and what work will stop.

“We will support our members throughout this consultation and urge the Trust to listen carefully to their concerns before making any decisions.”

Maggie Oldham, Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, said: “Although 144 job roles are involved, we currently expect only a small number of these to be affected depending on the outcome of the consultation.

“The consultation is about receiving feedback and making sure the proposed structures can deliver safe, effective care.

“We are working directly with colleagues who may be affected by the proposed changes and their views will be considered before any decisions are made.”

New plans for a luxurious hotel on Blackpool seafront has sparked renewed interest in another hotel project already gran...
17/08/2026

New plans for a luxurious hotel on Blackpool seafront has sparked renewed interest in another hotel project already granted planning permission – but still not built after two years.

On Friday ambitious proposals were announced for a stylish four/five star hotel, designed by noted architect Joseph Boniface, which was still going through the planning process. The hotel has been earmarked for a seafront site whose location has yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, another ambitious four-star hotel scheme for a £30m hotel on Blackpool Promenade was given the go-ahead by town hall planners back in April 2024.

At that time, the developers pledged to start work as soon as possible on the 143-bedroom hotel on a Promenade site previously occupied by the demolished St Chad’s Hotel.

The applicant was the Singapore-based hotel chain Fragrance Group, which owns some of Blackpool’s most prominent hotels, specifically The Imperial Hotel and the Lyndene Hotel.

Alistair Shepherd, representing the Fragrance Group, told the planning meeting in April 2024 that if the scheme was approved, work would begin on site straight away.

He said: “This is an important development and we wanted to get the right scheme for Blackpool. The applicant has consulted with local stakeholders.

“Should we receive approval work will start straight away. We’re sure it’s very disappointing when you have schemes at planning not being built.

“The applicant is one with a proven track record of building and managing hotels of a very high standard. The developer has already invested in Blackpool and demonstrated belief in the vision you have got from the council.”

Yet two years and four months later, work has still not started. The development site, which is bordered by hoardings showing a striking artist’s impression of the imposing building, remains vacant.

The site was once occupied by the St Chad’s Hotel, which was demolished in May 2023 to make way for the new investment.

The Fragrance group was approached for an update on the proposals.

Reports in The Sun and GB News had suggested - based on language used in licensing papers - that it will be bottoms down...
17/08/2026

Reports in The Sun and GB News had suggested - based on language used in licensing papers - that it will be bottoms down when it comes to bottoms up by the seaside.

Blackpool Council was branded a ‘woke council’ in those reports.

But the claims have been blasted as “misleading” by authority chiefs, who say they are simply trying to clean up Blackpool’s party hub image.

A Blackpool primary school has been given the green light to construct an external canopy and two metre high mesh fencin...
14/08/2026

A Blackpool primary school has been given the green light to construct an external canopy and two metre high mesh fencing.

Westminster Primary Academy, on Westminster Road in North Shore, submitted a planning application to Blackpool Council seeking permission for the scheme.

The proposals were aimed at improving security in the school, particularly to support its special educational needs (SEND) provision.

The application was for a Lawful Development Certificate, which would mean the application would not require planning permission.

Blackpool Council’s Head of Development management said the proposals would come under ‘permitted development’, meaning that in this case the applicant would be able to build, expand, or change the use of a property without submitting a formal planning application.

Accordingly, the application was permitted.

A covering letter, via agents Cassidy & Ashton Group Ltd, stated: “The works would comprise the er****on of a timber and polycarbonate external canopy and er****on of 2m high internal fencing to support the school’s SEN provision, through enhanced safeguarding.

“It is our position that the proposals would generally fall under permitted development concerning the er****on, extension or alteration of a school, college university, prison, or hospital building.

“This covering letter supports a certificate of lawfulness made to Blackpool Borough Council in respect of the development for the er****on of internal fencing and a canopy structure to Westminster Primary Academy.

“It is our position that this proposal complies with all criteria needed and accordingly, the Council are requested to approve the certificate as applied for.”

Blackpool’s Metropole Hotel is set to return to its role as a holiday destination – but the hotel is not expected to be ...
13/08/2026

Blackpool’s Metropole Hotel is set to return to its role as a holiday destination – but the hotel is not expected to be ready for some time.

And Britannia - regularly bagging unwanted awards as the UK's worst hotel chain - has not commented on the record to promise renovation.

The hotel took centre stage on Tuesday when Blackpool was chosen by Anna Turley, the Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, for the announcement that asylum hotels will no longer be housing migrants.

Mrs Turley praised the “gorgeous” hotel and said it could now return to bringing people to the town and adding to the heritage and the history of the area.

But she confirmed it will not be receiving any more Government funds to renovate it after it housed hundreds of asylum seekers between September 2021 and July 2026.

it is understood that the hotel is currently in no state to welcome paying guests and will need an extensive renovation (much of this was likely true before 2021).

During its tenure as an asylum hotel, it was run by the Serco Group, which manages public services for the government, including immigration matters, but it will now be retuned to owners Britannia Hotel, which is believed to have made substantial profits from block-booking agreements before the hotel ended its asylum use .

The UK government spent £2.1 billion on hotel accommodations in the 2024/25 financial year, down from a peak of £3 billion the previous year.

Mrs Turley, who is also MP for Redcar, said of the Metropole: “This is such an iconic hotel and I represent a seaside town myself and i know what it’s like in communities like this, to feel you’re a bit left behind, a bit ignored, that you haven’t had the investment over the years.

“I feel that using this hotel as an asylum hotel was a bit of a symbol of that, that people didn’t rally care enough about the heritage, the investment and the iconic nature of a building like this.

“So I was really pleased to come to come to this one because I think it’ really important to send a statement to people in Blackpool and around the country that we’re not going to use hotels like this any more for housing asylum seekers.

“We’re going to use them for enriching tourism, for bringing people to the area and restoring their heritage and the history of the area.”

Asked about funds for revamping the hotel, she said: “I think the renovation will be down to the operators because we have funded them for a substantial amount of time to house those asylum seekers.

“So the priority now is to mov the asylum seekers on to more appropriate accommodation, to give this great hotel back to the community, so it can be used for its original purpose, to bring tourists in and give people a good time in Blackpool.

“It’s up to the owners to make that a reality.

“But the key thing for us was to close it as an asylum hotel and send a message to the people of Blackpool.”

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, who campaigned strongly to move the asylum seekers out to more appropriate accommodation, said: “This is a big milestone, I pledged to get this hotel closed and brought back to the use of our tourism industry.

“The hotel now has been passed back from Serco to Britannia and we’ve been told they’re looking to refurb it and reopen it back to being a tourist hotel.

“It’s been a long campaign but one I’m delighted that we’ve succeeded in and it’s great to have the minister here in Blackpool today.”

Asked about the revamp, he said: “My view is, we shouldn’t be putting any more money into this hotel.

“Britannia received a lot of money to be an asylum hotel. They need to step up now and invest themselves, using those profits they’ve made to bring this hotel back to it’s former glory.

“And that’s what I’m going to be pushing for.”

Part of the former Odeon Cinema building in Blackpool could return to its former use as a cinema under new proposals.A s...
13/08/2026

Part of the former Odeon Cinema building in Blackpool could return to its former use as a cinema under new proposals.

A scheme is being put forward which would see a nine-screen cinema complex operating from the west side of the huge Rigby Road premises.

The former Odeon multiplex on Rigby Road permanently closed on June 5, 2023, after its lease expired.
However, in June this year more than half of the building was re-opened as a major entertainments complex by operator Tenpin.

The Tenpin site includes 24 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, an immersive 4D laser tag arena for high-energy group battles, Houdini’s escape rooms, private karaoke rooms, a games arcade, modern darts, a children’ play area and a bar with light bites.

However, there is still considerable space left in the other side of the building which currently lies vacant.

The building is owned by the Preston-based developer Austringer Capital, which operates locally as AIM Land Ltd, and the applicant for these latest proposals is listed as AIM Capital Ltd.

The owners have been advised by property agents Barker Proudlove that only two uses would be deemed appropriate to fill the premises – either cinema use or storage.

Two sperate planning applications for both of those options have been lodged with Blackpool Council, but the proposed cinema use is considered the more eye-catching.

The application is for the installation of mezzanine floor and use of part of the premises as a cinema (sui generis) and alterations to rear elevation, at Unit 1, Festival Leisure Park (now known as Bloomfield Central), off Rigby Road.

A Planning Statement for the cinema proposals, by planning agents Savills, says: “This statement is submitted in relation to a proposal to change the use of floorspace of existing leisure and food and beverage floorspace at Bloomfield Central into cinema use.

“The floorspace forms part of Unit 1 at Bloomfield Central that was previously occupied by Odeon.

“Tenpin has now taken the significant majority of the former Odeon floorspace and has recently opened and is operating a leisure operation, which is becoming a substantial part of the leisure offering in Blackpool.

“The intended proposal is to provide nine new cinema screens in Blackpool; of which two screens are intended to be large-scale screens and seven are intended to be a boutique offering.”

It is considered that an area the size of Blackpool and the Fylde coast is large enough to accommodate another cinema to those already operating, the Arc in Blackpool and The View in Cleveleys.

The Planning Statement concludes: “The proposal will provide a cinema at an accessible and prominent location that will bring back into use vacant floorspace.

“The Site has already been concluded to be an appropriate location for cinema use via the previous use of floorspace at the Site and already benefits from a leisure-style permitted use.

“The proposal therefore presents an opportunity to enhance economic productivity and growth in Blackpool and the specific neighbourhood where the Site is located.”

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