winkie Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I went to Blackpool once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John51 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Blackpool was built before the car was king. Many of those redundant hotels should be turned into reasonably priced car parks. I quite like the place, the decay doesn't bother me and I prefer my holiday spend to go into British pockets. North Wales this summer but once the grandkids are a little older I want to take them to Blackpool to get an eyeful of stuff like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashmonitor Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 I took my younger son there a few years back so he could see where I used to go on holiday when I was his age and thought pretty much the same thing. I certainly see the need for renovation there - it's a total sh1t-hole - but they seem to be determined to kill off many of the things that are unique about the place. I see no reason why Blackpool couldn't be much like Brighton with the right guidance. Allowing half of those cruddy old hotels and guest houses on the promenade to be turned into flats and houses would be the absolute best place to start I think. Blackpool has an architectural inheritance in the art deco neo classical North shore promenade infrastructure, further neo classical delights in Stanley park, Victorian piers, especially the North pier and the Winter Gardens. And the aforementioned vintage working tram system. Just the type of heritage which has printed prosperity for London and Brighton. But the Blackpool planners have just destroyed the place. Money ploughed into ripping up the unique tram system, and instead of preserving the old have gone on a reckless spree of paving the south promenade and decorating it with disco balls etc . Where has this got the South Shore, something resembling Detroit. Unbelievable planning stupidity of the highest order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Blackpool has an architectural inheritance in the art deco neo classical North shore promenade infrastructure, further neo classical delights in Stanley park, Victorian piers, especially the North pier and the Winter Gardens. And the aforementioned vintage working tram system. Just the type of heritage which has printed prosperity for London and Brighton. But the Blackpool planners have just destroyed the place. Money ploughed into ripping up the unique tram system, and instead of preserving the old have gone on a reckless spree of paving the south promenade and decorating it with disco balls etc . Where has this got the South Shore, something resembling Detroit. Unbelievable planning stupidity of the highest order. I don't know why you're so damning. It must be an ideal place to live on $6000 a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashmonitor Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 I don't know why you're so damning. It must be an ideal place to live on $6000 a year. That's another way of looking at it. Failure means it is an ideal place to live for diddly squat. The antithesis to London whilst getting all the benefits of the NHS and being able to pick up a house for 20k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUBanana Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Like most places in the UK, on balance it would be better off if the council simply was not there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashinmattress Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Another real annoyance with Blackpool is the sensitivity of the speed cameras within the city. If you exceed 32 mph you are flashed. The cabbies there hate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Monk Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Another real annoyance with Blackpool is the sensitivity of the speed cameras within the city. If you exceed 32 mph you are flashed. The cabbies there hate it. Surely Blackpool isn't a city? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Surely Blackpool isn't a city? No, it's definitely a town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walton Goggins Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 This is the only good thing Blackpool does every year :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLz4Bs_XgLo Whatever people have to complain about Blackpool council, it could be worse, they could have Morecambe council. The 5000+ punk rockers brought £1m+ from all over the world into the Morecambe economy but the council lost them to Blackpool since 2002 because of giving in to market traders that didn't want to close the markets for 3 days a year. The punks are quite happy by all accounts having everything under one roof in the Winter Gardens saves them having walk anywhere, after all most of them are pensioners now. http://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/local/punk-row-divides-the-independents-1-1166569 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Another real annoyance with Blackpool is the sensitivity of the speed cameras within the city. If you exceed 32 mph you are flashed. The cabbies there hate it. Better just stick to 30 then, or am I missing something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feed Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 And on the other side of the story, we’re going in Oct for a competition. Struggled to find a B&B as everywhere near the winter gardens was already booked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybong Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 (edited) Another real annoyance with Blackpool is the sensitivity of the speed cameras within the city. If you exceed 32 mph you are flashed. The cabbies there hate it. It sounds extremely desperate to raise money. That, the general dilapidation and the parking difficulties mentioned earlier. Edited March 4, 2014 by billybong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kzb Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 The Blackpool business community still talks like they are in the 1960's. Constantly bleating on Radio Lancashire they are too cheap and therefore attracting the wrong type of people. Yes that's right, people aren't going because it's not expensive enough. Drink prices are too cheap, despite the town centre bars being almost at London prices. The phrases "value for money", or "customer service", never occur. Blackpool businesses have this God-given right to your money. Don't get me started on what has happened to the Pleasure Beach over the last few years. 40 minute queues for every ride completely killed it for me, and more importantly for the kids with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Surely the best use of all these hotels etc is to turn them into retirement homes?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Sutton Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Don't get me started on what has happened to the Pleasure Beach over the last few years. 40 minute queues for every ride completely killed it for me, and more importantly for the kids with us. As Yogi Berra said, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCountOfNowhere Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 As Yogi Berra said, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded" That's probably why he preferred to go into the woods with boo boo and his picnic basket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kzb Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 As Yogi Berra said, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded" I think I was unduly negative in my previous post in some ways. Also the negative belief that no-one is going to Blackpool anymore is patently not true of the Pleasure Beach. This is stil the No.1 UK tourist attraction I believe. The problem stems from the wristbands. Back in the day, you paid cash for each ride, or later on bought tickets for classes of rides. There was an incentive for the owners to keep rides open and keep the customer throughput going. With the wristbands, this incentive is gone. Most rides do not open until midday, and the place is closing down by teatime. Plus, you now end up queuing for 30 minutes plus to even get in the park -previously of course you simply wandered in and out uncontrolled. We loved BPB as kids, but I fear that the next generation will get bored with the queues. Having said all this, whenever we've stayed in Blackpool we've actually enjoyed it ! It's not as bad as you think when you get there. When I was complaining about the Blackpool business community, what I said was generally true, but there are exceptions. One of these was the hotel we stayed in on the front, the staff are fantastic, but the place is also value for money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 It's not as bad as you think when you get there. Great new advertising slogan: Blackpool, not as bad as you think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANG Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Whatever people have to complain about Blackpool council, it could be worse, they could have Morecambe council. The 5000+ punk rockers brought £1m+ from all over the world into the Morecambe economy but the council lost them to Blackpool since 2002 because of giving in to market traders that didn't want to close the markets for 3 days a year. The punks are quite happy by all accounts having everything under one roof in the Winter Gardens saves them having walk anywhere, after all most of them are pensioners now. http://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/local/punk-row-divides-the-independents-1-1166569 LOL - pensioners my **** This band have just been announced at Rebellion so Fang is a happy bunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 LOL - pensioners my **** This band have just been announced at Rebellion so Fang is a happy bunny Surprisingly good Mr Fang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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