The United Kingdom could potentially be seeing the first “flying theatre” come to light in the coastal town of Blackpool. The Blackpool Council has revealed its plans to construct a £300 million development, which will be located at its Central Station site. The Council has brought in the developer Nikal to assist in completing the entertainment venue.
According to the unveiling of the plans, the establishment will provide a virtual reality entertainment zone primarily. Yet, alongside this, there will be an indoor entertainment centre for families, multimedia exhibition area, a food court, various restaurants and much more. There’s even talk of constructing a hotel featuring 150 rooms.
As far as the “flying theatre” part of the site is concerned, this will be a huge immersive experience, featuring surround sound, as well as dramatic effects, like water, wind and fog.
Alongside the setup, Blackpool Council has also made mention of the fact that the entertainment venue will host its own casino, too. Amusements and gambling establishments make up a primary factor of the seaside town’s attractions.
A Few Years to Wait
According to the current plans, the work on the supercasino’s first phase could begin by 2020. Estimates suggest that once the project has been completed, it could have the potential to attract around 600,000 extra visitors per year to Blackpool. Not only that, but it could also generate around 1,000 jobs, as well as provide an annual spend of about £75 million. The first phase of the development is slated to open in the first half of 2024.
The second phase of the construction will feature apartments, additional food and drink outlets, another hotel that will contain 250 bedrooms, and plenty of open public space.
Blackpool’s Central Station area expands across a total of 17 acres of land, which had previously been earmarked by the council as a supercasino location. A bid was put forward for this in 2006. However, it wasn’t to be successful, as it lost out to the bid by the city of Manchester, which had suggested constructing a supercasino in Eastlands. This was never to come to light, though.
Councillor Simon Blackburn, who operates as the leader of Blackpool’s council, spoke of the suggestions put forward over the past 50 years for the Central Station site. Yet, he said that this time around, the council has worked “very hard” with “fantastic partners” in Nikal and MIE. The new attractions, he said, will be of “ground-breaking international quality”, helping to propel Blackpool’s tourism sector to greater heights.
He went on to speak of the town featuring the UK’s best amusement park in Blackpool Pleasure Beach, so with the new attractions to open in 2024, thrill-seekers can enjoy their visit to the town even more.
Backing up Mr Blackburn’s thoughts on this, the Managing Director of Nikal, Nick Payne, said that Blackpool Central stands as a “hugely important project” for both the town and its surrounding region.
