Work starts on car park at centre of green space row

Work has begun on a town centre car park on land that opponents said should have been turned into a green space.

The 110-car temporary car park will be on council land at the back of the Holiday Inn in Talbot Road, Blackpool.

Conservative opposition leader Paul Galley said creating a community park instead would have "revitalised the neighbourhood".

But Blackpool Council said it planned to sell the plot for development at some point, which would mean spending money removing whatever greenery was put on the site.

Conservative group leader Galley said: "Rather than creating a park for cars, we should be building a park for people.

"Establishing green space in this key central area could not only revitalise the neighbourhood but also improve lives.

"For many residents with limited access to nature, such a space would offer significant physical and mental health benefits."

In response to social media criticism of the car park plan, Blackpool Council said: "If we covered it in planting now, that would make development on that site more difficult and expensive in the long run."

The car park will be accessed from Queen Street and will serve the Holiday Inn, but it will also be open to non-hotel traffic.

The land is included in the £350m Talbot Gateway regeneration project.

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