Blackpool second in abandoned buildings league table

Blackpool has appeared second on a national list which highlights cities or large towns with the most abandoned buildings.

The latest stats were used to create a league table based on the number of abandoned buildings per 1,000 people.

And that data, using research, undertaken by the Cash House Buyers at Sell House Fast, shows that Blackpool has over 22.2 abandoned buildings per 1,000 people, placing it second only to Torbay; surpringly the “English Riviera” resort in Devon tops the lot.

The research follows a similar study in which Blackpool came second in another unwanted league table – for the city or large town with the biggest number of unsightly eyesore buildings..

That data revealed the UK cities issuing the most Section 215 Notices since 2020, highlighting the worst hotspots for neglected commercial buildings.

The resort is second only to London in the that study, with run down and derelict commercial properties bringing the town down, in the town centre, and from North Shore to south Shore.

However, Blackpool Council said it had the issue in its sights and was working to deal with it.

The study, from leading sign manufacturing and installation company Lavastar, used Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to source the number of Section 215 Notices – formal warnings that require property owners to tidy up unsightly or decaying land and buildings – since 2020.

A Section 215 Notice is a legal notice issued by a local planning authority under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (UK).

It’s used when the condition of land or buildings is considered detrimental to the amenity of the area, for example, if a property is neglected, overgrown, or unsightly.

The data found that Blackpool Council issued 43 of the notices over the past five years for Shop Front/Building Fronts, well behind London (78) but ahead of other leaders Coventry (41) and Doncaster Metropolitan (34).

Cllr Paula Burdess, Blackpool Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Neighbourhoods & Street Scene, said pf this report: “Empty properties, both residential and commercial, are a national problem and Blackpool suffers from its fair share.

“Many of the commercial empty properties have complex intricate title histories and have been sold numerous times without completing the required legal steps to register official legal ownership. This makes the identification of legal ownership complex and difficult which in turn hinders enforcement.

“That said Blackpool Council are working hard to remedy these problem properties which blight our communities and hinder our economic growth.

“Over the last 12 months, we have implemented a robust strategy which focuses attention towards utilising all the statutory tools we have to tackle this problem.”