Residents oppose £20m tram depot

Trams have been running on Blackpool seafront for more than 120 years

Residents are opposing plans for a new £20m depot as part of the upgrade of Blackpool's 120-year-old tram system.

Blackpool Council wants to build the depot on a car park at Starr Gate as part of the system's £100m revamp, announced on Wednesday.

It would provide storage and workshops for the new fleet of trams, as well as providing a home for historic trams.

But residents living opposite the site have objected, claiming it would create too much noise and disruption.

The proposed site would also obstruct the uninterrupted sea views currently enjoyed by houses opposite.

We have tried to be really sensitive about where we put this John Donnellan, Blackpool Council

But Mark Chapman, who lives opposite the car park, said the issue was the disruption the workshop would cause.

"It is a tram factory operating from five forty in the morning to one thirty in the evening, with a car wash," said Mr Chapman.

"Think of a double-decker bus and double it, then get it working between midnight and one thirty in the morning for all the elderly residents."

John Donnellan, Blackpool Council's assistant director for the built environment, told BBC Radio Lancashire the depot would be a storage site and not a place to build trams.

And he warned the residents' planning objection could derail the whole project.

Government money

"If residents win and we don't get a depot on this site then there will be a real question mark over the whole tramway improvement programme," said Mr Donnellan.

"Because we've got an issue about whether we can get to secure that government money in time if we haven't got a depot that's part of the programme.

"We have tried to be really sensitive about where we put this and we understand it's difficult for residents because it's not what they've got in front of them now.

"But we've spent an awful lot of money in terms of designing the new building to get it right so it looks OK."

The upgrade, announced by the Department for Transport, will feature 16 new trams, replacement track and extra stops.

This investment comprises £68.3m from the DfT and £33.4m from Blackpool Council and Lancashire County Council.

Ministers say it will build on the current regeneration of the town while improving access to the Fylde coast.