I do wish the council and town planners would stand back and take a fresh look, and be inspired by more tasteful seaside resorts along the Norfolk Coast, like Wells, Sherringham, Walberswick, Southwold etc. Even Scarborough, Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay and Filey in Yorkshire. The North-West coast needs a version of these places and Blackpool would be perfect. But strategies need rewiring. Plough some money into getting rid of the tat and putting prices up to attract visitors with more money while still making it affordable, nostalgic and fun for every day folk too. Stop closing hotels and B&Bs and encouraging benefits people. It wont lose its character, you can spend on retaining the stuff from the glory days. B&Bs can offer nostalgia weekends, with flasks of tea and tartan rugs, deck chairs, vintage picnics to take onto the prom or the beach, pop up cinemas can show films made by the seaside like Wish You Were Here, Brighton Rock, Little Voice, Funny Bones etc, and shops can offer works of art and souvenirs from genuine local artists. Cafes and restaurants should sell seafood dishes - get inspired by both Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein, aim high, use local ingredients, seafood, fish, seaweed, cheese, meat, game from local farmers.... Aim for vintage weekends, farmers markets in Bispham, Cleveleys high streets, have themed weekends around George Formby, Gracie Fields, all the entertainers who did summer seasons in the 1950s and 1960s... re-open a lido for heatlhy seaside swimming, add spa treatments made from local seaweed. Offer free rent for 6 months on empty shops to help new businesses, then half rent for the rest of the year. Offer gallery space in buildings for art students and artists. Get people to want to live in Blackpool and stay in Blackpool, and get people to visit, and repeat visit bringing more family and friends. Be proud Blackpool, cherish your past, create a local history museum that embraces all wonderful things such as circus, holiday camps, rides, early Pleasure Beach, piers, architecture and celebrites. So whatre you waiting for?
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 20:12:50 +0000
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