Blackpool town centre Civil Service Hub tops out
A new home for the UK Government in Blackpool town centre is on track to welcome over 3,000 civil servants early next year.
The £100m, 215,000 sq ft Civil Service Hub at King St near Blackpool North train station, has reached its highest point, making it the tallest office building in Blackpool.
The seven-storey building is being delivered by Blackpool Council, alongside nationwide placemaker, Muse, and main contractor VINCI Construction.
The new office building is the third phase in Blackpool’s £350m redevelopment of the Talbot Gateway around the train station, which in total will bring over 8,000 professional workers and students into the town centre.
Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Redeveloping the area around Blackpool North train station is a major part of our plans to make Blackpool better, creating jobs and opportunities for local people.
“If you look around town, you can already start to see new private businesses using the opportunity of extra workers on their doorstep and investing in new or improved premises and creating jobs for local people, which is fantastic.
“Anybody who has visited the town centre in the last eighteen months has seen the Civil Service Hub becoming a new landmark on the Blackpool skyline, but we are also making sure that it impacts local people positively. Working with Muse and Vinci, we have made sure that local Blackpool and Lancashire businesses have won contracts where possible, while we are committed to helping young people in Blackpool to find work and training on site.”
The regeneration of Talbot Gateway has already delivered the 125,000 sq ft Number One Bickerstaffe Square council office, a Sainsbury’s supermarket, and a refurbished 650-space multi-storey car park, alongside extensive public spaces for the community to enjoy.
A new 4 star 144-bedroom Holiday Inn hotel and Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurant opened in May, while a tram-train interchange linking to Blackpool Promenade opened in June. Outline plans have also been approved for a multiversity campus for Blackpool and the Fylde College, bringing up to 3,000 students and staff into the area.
Elsewhere, full planning permission is being sought by Muse and Blackpool Council for a new £45 million, 52,950 sq ft office off Talbot Road which would be home to over 1,000 employees, while plans for a new multi-storey car park are expected to be submitted later this summer.
Alan McBride, Technical Director at Muse, says: “The long-standing partnership between Muse and Blackpool Council continues to help build a brighter Blackpool through regeneration that’s fit for the future, and with the Civil Service Hub topping out, it’s rewarding to see another milestone ticked off as part of our programme to transform the town.
“This highly sustainable building will help to provide a significant boost to the town centre’s economy, and by incorporating design features that are a nod to Blackpool’s rich cultural heritage, we’re helping to forge a new chapter for the town while remembering the culture and history that have contributed to Blackpool’s iconic status.”
The building has been designed to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards which means it incorporates best practice in sustainable building design, construction, and operation.
With carbon assessments conducted at the project’s outset to aid the reduction of the building’s total carbon footprint, features supporting the Civil Service Hub’s sustainability credentials include:
- Terracotta façade panels – an acknowledgement of the town’s architectural heritage – that are highly sustainable and help reduce the building’s embodied carbon
- Consumption-led mechanical and electrical services that will create energy savings whilst improving the building’s indoor environment for occupiers
- Air source heat pumps to provide low-carbon heating and cooling
All these design features will provide a wellbeing boost for occupiers and contribute to increased productivity.
Designed by London-based Make Architects, the building will also feature a large reception lobby and a high-quality fit-out including open plan working areas, meeting rooms, quiet zones, and other flexible workplace settings, with high levels of natural daylight and generous, airy ceiling heights throughout.
Furthermore, with ground floor facilities that encourage active travel – including cycle storage, showers and changing facilities – the Civil Service Hub aims to promote sustainable transport for visitors and residents. It is within walking distance to the new tram interchange and Blackpool’s North train station too, is on the local bus network, and will be connected via cycle and pedestrian routes.
This will help to bring new people into the town centre, increasing footfall, and boosting trade for local businesses.
Gary Hughes, Regional Director for VINCI Building, commented: “We’re proud to be working with Muse and Blackpool Council in delivering this key project, which will undoubtedly create one of the most modern public workspaces in the UK, while setting a new benchmark in sustainable construction.
“From the outset, we have sought to create new employment opportunities for local people. By engaging with local organisations, we have been able to create an on-site skills academy which provides real-life training and education opportunities for those people furthest from the employment market and seeking work within construction. This remains extremely successful in upskilling future talent towards an industry which continues to cry out for skilled personnel.”
For more information about plans to make Blackpool better, visit www.blackpool.gov.uk/betterblackpool and to enquire about moving your business into the Talbot Gateway visit www.talbotgateway.com
