Claremont People’s Plan could offer blueprint for improving areas if successful

The plan makes asks of government and the local authority - but also residents themselves

Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.

Blackpool’s problems are well-documented and that’s why, quite often, we steer away from simply reporting figures that show levels of deprivation and its associated challenges.

Instead, we try to report the issues when people are offering constructive solutions, and that’s exactly what the Claremont People’s Plan tries to do.

A group effort through charities, the council, neighbourhood leaders and others, it sets out things that everyone can do with a view to improving the area.

It’s ambitious - but it’s also the sort of thing that could be applied to different areas in Blackpool and the rest of the UK if it is successful.

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Blackpool briefing

🛏️ New owners of one of Blackpool’s most prominent seafront hotels have got a new name and new look planned. Daish’s Blackpool Hotel on the North Shore promenade is a substantial property which has been run by Daish’s Coach Holidays for a number of years. But the family-owned UK company, which provides package holidays by coach to its own chain of hotels, has now sold it and is looking to move into other areas of the country. The new owners of the Blackpool hotel are a small family group led by father and son Declan Scully and his son Leo. They acquired the 70-bed hotel a week ago, for an undisclosed sum, and are to rename it the Hotel Santamaria.

🚧 Planners at Blackpool are to run the rule over proposals to demolish two adjoining houses and replace them with a block of flats. An application was submitted to Blackpool Council’s planners for the erection of a two and a half storey block containing five apartments following demolition of existing houses at 6-8 Carlin Gate. The two properties have been empty for some time and the overall building has. become something of an eyesore.

🚌 Moor Park Primary School is considering ambitions plans to extend its SEND provision and has launched a consultation with a range of groups about the proposals. The school, based on Moor Park Avenue in Bispham, is looking at changes to two of its existing amenities at the school, The Halo and The Hive, which already offer provision for SEND (Special Educational Needs) pupils. As part of its consultation exercise, the school has put a notice on its website to let parents know what is being considered. The plans would see the current SEND amenities extended to benefit Blackpool as a whole.

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Claremont People’s Plan could offer blueprint for improving areas if successful

Looking at the Claremont People’s Plan

By Luke Beardsworth

A new framework for improving the lives of residents in Claremont has been published.

The Claremont: People’s Plan is a collaborative effort from residents, businesses and organisations in the area to drive change in an area that they acknowledge has ‘long-standing challenges.

The plan sets out steps that people can take to make improvements to the area in the short and long term and says that they rely on ‘collective effort’.

It has funding from Homes England and has been supported by Blackpool Council. It started to be formed as far back as 2020 as part of a project led by Magic Club - a young people’s charity in the area.

Claremont has high levels of deprivation, with high levels of residents classing as economically inactive and, as with a number of areas of Blackpool, sitting in the top 1% of deprived areas nationally.

What that ultimately means is that any successes that come out of the plan could help provide a blueprint for other areas in Blackpool.

The key themes it hopes to address are safe, affordable homes, inclusive spaces, access to work, health and happiness and cleaner, greener and safer public spaces.

It calls for residents, particularly those who felt like they don’t know their neighbour, to attend events, volunteer and share ideas.

Building the Claremont People’s Plan

It asks for them to back local talents.

But it asks that the government and the local authority work together to raise national standards of housing quality, tackle high rents and return empty homes into use.

And it welcomes the end of no-fault evictions, due to be introduced from May 1, 2026.

Kendrick Fowler, chair of the Fylde Coast Advice and Legal Centre, said: “The People’s Plan will aim to give everyone in Claremont a voice, address the unique issues we have here and celebrate the achievements of our community.