Key road outside Aldi to be overhauled after multiple crashes

PLUS: Indian street food wars as staff leave one award-winning restaurant to set up their own

Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.

Aldi’s opening in Bispham will have been subject to planning applications and meetings that assessed the impact it would have on the surrounding roads.

But after four years of prangs - and more serious incidents too - the junction outside Aldi at Holyoake Avenue will be revamped.

As it stands, drivers have to cut across two lanes of traffic to gain entrance to the supermarket. It’s easy to see how it might be going wrong.

We also look at how one of Blackpool’s most popular eateries ended up with a zero food hygiene rating, who the owner blames, and why those blamed think he’s talking nonsense.

Road safety fears at Holyoake Avenue since Aldi opened four years ago

The road outside Aldi in Bispham

By Michael Holmes

The junction outside Aldi in Bispham will be overhauled after a series of car crashes, The Blackpool Lead can reveal.

A number of prangs have been reported outside the budget supermarket in Holyoake Avenue since it opened four years ago - leading to fears around road safety.

But transport chiefs at the town hall have listened to concerns and will make the car park entrance closest to the busy Bispham Road/Warbreck Hill Road/Holyoake Avenue/Plymouth Road junction exit-only.

The current system forces motorists heading for Aldi to cut across two lanes of traffic moving towards the junction.

Smashes have happened when drivers in the left-hand lane set off while those in the right remained stationary — catching out shoppers wrongly assuming both lanes were at a standstill.

The two-way entrance farthest from the junction will from mid-September become the only way for vehicles to access the site.

Local councillor Julie Jones, who represents the Greenlands ward for Labour, said: “We are aware that the Aldi entrance on Holyoake Avenue has been of ongoing concern to residents and we have been liaising with Blackpool Council’s Highways team about the entrance and potential solutions to deal with it.

“The alteration of the entrance and exit at Aldi is fantastic news and something we very much welcome.

“We believe it will deal with the traffic issues related to the position of the current entrance, which is great news for Blackpool residents, making the area safer for everyone.”

Originally the home of Crossley’s timber merchants, the site used to house the likes of B&Q and Comet, as well as a sofa company and, more recently, Poundstretcher.

As well as Aldi and Pets At Home, it now hosts B&M.

The council was asked recently to make it safer for pedestrians to cross Holyoake Avenue, with no push-button or zebra crossing currently.

But road bosses believe any changes would lead to traffic jams over Crossley’s Bridge and up to St Walburgas Road.

When plans were filed to make changes to the building before Aldi opened in 2021, a number of neighbours warned the council of potential traffic issues.

Robert Moore, of Hughes Grove, said he had “reservations about the exit system on to Holyoake Avenue”, though he supported the scheme.

Robert Bennett of Salmesbury Avenue, who also supported the application, said his “only criticism would be the timing of the lights from that side of the junction”, adding: “They have in recent time been changed to allow more cars through each time, but with increased traffic I feel this would need looking at again.”

Mr and Mrs Benson of Holyoake Avenue, who in a joint statement objected to the planning bid, wanted “the traffic issue” to be “resolved in some” way - saying the “increase in traffic in the queue at the lights will be unbearable”.

And Anne-Margaret Olsen, also of Holyoake Avenue, who remained neutral, said some “consideration” needed to be paid to pedestrian access.

She warned: “Traffic is significantly high and with delivery lorries exiting at such a sharp turn, this could lead to an increase in accidents.”

Lancashire Police declined to say how many road accidents have been reported in Holyoake Avenue since Aldi opened, compared to the three years beforehand.

The Blackpool Lead has formally asked for figures under freedom of information laws and will update this story when a response is received.

Months after the opening of the overhauled site, which included the new traffic system and freshly asphalted car park, one person had to be cut from a car after a morning rush-hour accident.

Firefighters helped free the stricken casualty, who was handed over to paramedics and taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Another collision was reported in June this year, with one man said to have gone to A&E for a check-up after being left in “shock” by a two-car crash.

A Blackpool Council spokesperson said: "Later this year, we are planning works to help address traffic flow and safety concerns at the entrance to the shopping complex car park on Holyoake Avenue.

"At present, we are not proposing changes to the existing pedestrian crossing arrangements at the traffic lights on Holyoake Avenue.

“The wider junction already includes push-button crossing facilities on two arms. Introducing an additional crossing phase at this location would increase delays for all road users in what is already a busy area, placing further strain on the surrounding road network.

"We will continue to monitor the junction closely to ensure it operates as safely and efficiently as possible for both pedestrians and road users.”

The traffic lights at the junction are sequenced and there is no obvious effect when a pedestrian pushes the button to cross one of the major roads, which link Blackpool to Bispham, Cleveleys and Fleetwood.

Aldi was contacted for a comment but had not responded by the time of publication.

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Staff exodus blamed for award-winning restaurant’s hygiene woes but former manager says they had to leave

By Luke Beardsworth

The owner of an Indian street food business in Blackpool has blamed a number of key exits from the business for a zero food hygiene rating.