A number of prominent tourist attractions in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK, could be acquired by the local authority from owner Leisure Parcs in a bid to boost wider efforts to regenerate the seaside resort.
Blackpool Council has offered to purchase the attractions - Blackpool Tower, the Winter Gardens, the Golden Mile Centre and Louis Tussauds - if it is able to obtain funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The proposal was one of a number of recommendations outlined in a report by the chair of regeneration agency ReBlackpool, Sir Howard Bernstein, which said that bringing the landmarks into public ownership would open up sources of heritage funding that are not available to private sector owners.
If a sale can be agreed, the council expects the funding acquired for the acquisition will cover a number of capital works required to revitalise the attractions, while Leisure Parcs would continue to operate the sites until a long-term development strategy is drawn up by the council.
Blackpool Council leader Peter Callow said: "For a long time there have been questions asked of us as to what we can do to help the Winter Gardens and Tower and bring them in line with other regeneration activity in the town.
"They are two of Blackpool's best assets and a highly significant part of our history that we must build on to secure our future. If we can access the extra funding, we can protect the public's interest in them and turn these attractions into something that can last well into the twenty first century."
ReBlackpool chief executive Doug Garrett added: "The Tower and Winter Gardens have been attracting tourists to Blackpool for more than 100 years. By bringing them into public ownership we can ensure they benefit from the additional funding which may be available for their development and making them a platform for the resort to build on and around for the next 100 years."
A decision is expected on the funding bid in early 2010, and if successful, would mean a a deal for the attractions' ownership would have to be agreed by the end of the current financial year.
