Blackpool Illuminations to get £2m coastal grant boost

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30983359

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Blackpool Illuminations will receive a £2m share of £36m of government money to boost seaside areas.

The money comes from the Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) which allocates revenue from marine activity.

The money for the attraction, which drew in 3.5 million visitors last year, will be used to create new light shows.

Tate St Ives in Cornwall gets £3.8m, Scarborough receives £2.7m to refurbish its market and Saltdean Lido in Brighton £2.3m, for renovation work.

Blackpool councillor, Graham Cain, who has responsibility for tourism in the resort, said although the lights had "fantastic heritage value" the authority wanted to make the improvements visitors were asking for.

"People wanted them more modern and more interactive and that's what this bid was all about... bringing them into the 21st Century and enabling us to put on the best light show in the world," said Mr Cain.

He added the cash boost would fund 11 new posts and create 500 related jobs in the resort.

The Tate St Ives extension project began in January last year and it is expected to be complete in 2017.

Mark Osterfield, executive director of Tate St Ives, said the cash would help refurbish and extend the "iconic gallery" and generate 76,000 extra visitors a year to the area and generate an additional £87m in the local economy over the next 10 years.

The Saltdean Lido Community Interest Company (CIC), which has been granted a 60-year lease to operate the pool by Brighton and Hove City Council, said the announcement was a "monumental step forward" in restoring the Grade II* listed site.

Rebecca Crook, director and chair of Saltdean Lido CIC, said bringing the 1930s art deco structure back into full public use would "give future generations the opportunity to enjoy the lido whilst preserving a piece of our seaside heritage".

Coastal Communities Minister, Penny Mordaunt, said the funding - a record amount since the CCF was set up in 2012 - would help seaside towns become year-round destinations and secure a brighter future for Britain.

She said the money from the fund would create nearly 3,000 jobs and 1,500 apprenticeships.

The money from the CCF comes from the Crown Estates, which owns the rights to fish farms, wind farms, ports and marinas.

Successful bidders receive money equivalent to 50% of revenues generated from offshore wind and tidal power and ship moorings in the area.

The CCF recipients' list: