Green light for £300m Blackpool Central leisure park

Plans have been approved for a £300m themed leisure development off the Golden Mile in Blackpool.Developer Nikal has teamed up with entertainment business Media Invest Entertainment to develop the Blackpool Central scheme, which will include three indoor entertainment centres, a hotel and restaurants.The new indoor theme park will including a flying theatre, rides for all the family and the latest immersive virtual reality experiences.It will also feature a new major public square for live events, such as music concerts and sporting events.The first phase of development, which received detailed planning includes a 1,300 space multi-storey car park, set to be built by Dutch firm Ballast Needam, which will free up land for future phases which were granted outline planning by Blackpool Council’s Planning Committee.Construction of the multi-storey car park and restoration of heritage buildings is expected to start in 2022 and will take around two years to complete.Nikal and Media Entertainment Invest Entertainment will also prepare a detailed planning application for the wider scheme during the delivery of the multi-storey car park and Heritage Quarter.The site is located on the south western edge of Blackpool town centre just off the Golden MileThe scheme is a key part of the Blackpool Town Deal supported by £39.5m of government funding.