Demolition of police station and courthouse begins

Work to demolish Blackpool's former Bonny Street police station and magistrates' court has begun, and is due to be completed by July.

The council hopes the cleared site will boost hopes of attracting a new developer to the land following the collapse of previous investors Nikal in October.

Clearance will also include the Chapel Street car park and the former joke shop on Central Drive.

Bonny Street police station has been empty since 2018 following construction of new headquarters on Clifton Road in Marton.

In recent times, the empty building had become a target for vandals and urban explorers.

Planning permission is in place for a £40m courthouse on a site on Devonshire Road but the start of construction was delayed when contractor ISG went into administration last September.

It is expected a new contractor will be appointed shortly by the Ministry of Justice, with working hopefully beginning later this year. However, the original timescale which saw the project's completion by 2026 will be delayed.

Currently Blackpool is without a magistrates' court, after the previous courthouse was shut in November 2023 due to the discovery of Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete), with cases now being heard at alternative courts in Lancashire.

Nick Gerrard, growth and prosperity programme director for Blackpool Council, said clearing the site would help efforts to find a new developer.

In a report presented to the council's Tourism, Economy and Communities Scrutiny Committee, he said: "Whilst the news regarding Nikal is disappointing, there has been significant progress made in aspects of site assembly over recent years."

As such, the site would be "much more attractive and ready for investment than at any other point over the past few decades", he said.

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