The Blackpool Borough Council (Multiversity) Compulsory Purchase Order 2024

Specialist compulsory purchase solicitor, Catherine Hibbert, discusses the new Multiversity regeneration project in Blackpool, and how this many affect existing landowners.

Blackpool Borough Council (the Council) is implementing a £2 billion Growth and Prosperity Programme one aim of which is to regenerate the Talbot Gateway area and so increase the vitality and viability of what is effectively Blackpool town centre.  The delivery of the £65 million Multiversity Development within the deprived Talbot Ward, as part of the regeneration of the Talbot Gateway, is critical to the success of this programme and will establish a world-class, state-of-the-art University-standard campus bringing up to 3,000 staff and students into the heart of Blackpool town centre.

A planning application for the development, which includes the demolition of 59 homes and outline permission for three new buildings for an education-led mixed use scheme, was approved by the Council's Planning Committee in April 2024.  Blackpool and the Fylde College, in collaboration with Lancaster University, will relocate to the new campus from their current base on Park Road.

The Council has been seeking to acquire the land needed for the Multiversity Development by negotiation. Compulsory purchase powers are now sought to ensure that all of the land interests required for the proposal can be secured and the Council has accordingly made The Blackpool Borough Council (Multiversity) Compulsory Purchase Order 2024 (‘the draft CPO’) to facilitate the assembly of all of the land and interests needed to deliver the new teaching and learning campus on 1.6 hectares of land adjacent to the south eastern boundary of the Talbot Gateway. A public inquiry will be held into objections into the draft CPO later in the year, before a decision is made on whether the draft CPO should be confirmed.

The land required for the Multiversity Development includes many homes and small businesses; those who have objected to the draft CPO will have the opportunity to participate in the inquiry before the CPO can be confirmed.

Landowners whose land is included in any confirmed CPO will be entitled to compensation for the compulsory acquisition of their property – regardless of whether they have objected to the draft CPO.  It is important that such affected persons receive independent legal and valuation advice to ensure that they secure the maximum compensation to which they are entitled. Such landowners should expect the Council to reimburse them their reasonable professional costs in settling their claim for compensation. The Council is expected to enter into and continue negotiations with landowners in parallel with the draft CPO process and indeed may be able to offer support with securing alternative accommodation.

Holmes and Hills LLP has a dedicated team of compulsory purchase solicitors who have an extensive range of experience in supporting home and business owners affected by such regeneration proposals. Our team is well placed to provide independent impartial advice on the scope of your claim for compensation, to support negotiations with the Council and to undertake any associated conveyancing work. If you are a landowner affected by the Multiversity Development, please do not hesitate to get in touch to discuss how we can help you.