Although this page is mainly for local residents of the 'Foxhall Village' area, feel free to browse it and find all the latest gossip, news and improvements from the Village. As a local community site, you will also find details of future plans and development put forward by local Council and the Foxhall Village Community Regeneration Association.
Also, see the 'Foxhall Village Forum'
and Reliable Tradesmen and services in the Blackpool area
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Local History & Heritage Day
22nd July, 1pm to 4pm at Ibbison Court Community Centre (Central Drive).
Hundreds of photographs on view. School photo's from 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's & 70's. Covering Revoe, Foxhall, Bonny Street, etc.
Admission £1, refreshments available, raffle on the day.
Hotels' Balamory makeover
Shades of yellow, pink, green, blue and even tangerine are appearing all over Bairstow Street in Blackpool's famous Foxhall village.
Guesthouse owners reached for their brushes after getting fed up of waiting for the council to do something.
Regeneration chiefs suggested the colourful campaign last year in the footsteps of the children's TV show Balamory which is based on the town of Tobermory on Scotland's Isle of Mull.
Areas of Cape Town in South Africa and Miami Beach in Florida have also successfully gone down the brightly painted route.
But the proposal never got off the ground in Foxhall – until now.
Nick Osborne, of the Greenmount Hotel, said: "We haven't got the next five years to wait until something is done. We have to do it now. We've hired the scaffolding as a team and everyone has gone for the same colours as when the council proposed the idea.
"We want to show everyone that we do care about his area and we will make sure we maintain the colours once it is all done."
So far six hotels are painting their fronts - The Greenmount in green, The Houndog in yellow, Hayden House in beige and black, Romley House in tangerine, The New Milton in blue and The Coach House in pink.
Sue Barraclough from the New Milton said: "We needed to paint ours and decided on light blue, then Nick did his and now the others are painting theirs. It's really caught on!"
Philip Wormall, of The Houndog, said: "It's going to be a bit different for the guests but hopefully they'll like it. It's a community thing that everyone is taking part in."
Julie Hall, of The Coach House, said she thought it was the first time her property had moved away from its traditional black and white timbered look.
She added: "We just want to be bright and cheerful."
It is hoped everyone's hotels will be finished next week and then bunting will also be displayed down the street.
Meanwhile the council is consulting residents and businesses on seven options which are being proposed for the future of Foxhall.
These range from creating a Victorian themed neighbourhood to introducing more modern buildings or even creating a student village.
Bid to revive historic Blackpool area
AMBITIOUS plans to upgrade Blackpool's most historic tourist area have been unveiled.
Residents are to be asked for their views on seven options for the future of the Foxhall district which has been offering holiday accommodation since the late 1800s.
Possibilities range from creating a Victorian-themed resort to turning the neighbourhood over to residential use or even a student village.
The proposals are the latest in a series of ideas, dating back to the resort's original 2003 masterplan, designed to boost the area.
Foxhall is also key to Blackpool's bid for World Heritage Site status – based on its claim to have been the first mass market holiday destination.
Whichever option is favoured, they all include plans to create a new pedestrian-friendly plaza at Foxhall Square.
Dale Street could also be pedestrianised.
Neil Winkley, chairman of the Foxhall Village Regeneration Association, who also runs the Aberford Hotel on Yorkshire Street, said: "It is a long term process and people have to understand that there is no quick fix. These proposals involve every aspect of the area.
"They go from making it a complete Victoriana theme park to bulldozing the whole area. In reality it will be a mix and match."
Nick Osborne, of the Greenmount Hotel on Bairstow Street, said: "Anything that regenerates the area is good, as long as they realise some of us are still trading here."
Sue Barraclough, of the New Milton Hotel, also on Bairstow Street, added: "Things are already changing but any new ideas for regeneration will be welcome."
Coun Maxine Callow, Blackpool Council's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "The area is crying out for improvements but it is very important we have the input of all the people who live and work there."
It is hoped cash could come from the Northwest Development Agency, ReBlackpool and heritage grants.
The report will go before the council's executive on Wednesday.
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Blackpool
Council has given the go ahead for a number of neighbourhood action
plans. The first of these will be for Foxhall, with additional plans to
follow in due course for South Beach and Claremont.
First
proposed in the Blackpool Local Plan, the Foxhall Area Action Plan will
map out a new vision for this important resort village. It will cover
the area from Rigby Road to Chapel Street and from the Promenade to the
Central Corridor. Extensive consultations will be undertaken with all
those interested in the future of the area to establish the kind of
place that people would like to see Foxhall developed into over the
next 10 to 15 years. Within
the vision, the Plan will set out opportunities for investment and
redevelopment and provide a framework for significant change and/or
conservation. It will also include an action plan that will bring
forward projects where the public and private sectors can come together. Jackie
Potter, Strategic Director for Regeneration and Tourism, Blackpool
Council welcomed the announcement. “Foxhall is an historic tourist
village where the Council wants to work with the local community to
secure a long-term, sustainable future. We want to ensure that the
character and appeal of Foxhall will once again make it a place that
people want to visit and live in. I would ask all those with an
interest in the area to bring forward ideas to help us to achieve these
goals.” The
first stage of the Plan will be to engage with the community, establish
the issues that are important to people in developing the long-term
future for Foxhall and to map out different options for that future. This
will enable the Council to develop real choices around which a
consensus can be built for a preferred way forward. If you would like
to get involved in that process, contact Daniel Welsh at Blackpool
Borough Council, Planning and Transportation Division, PO Box 17,
Corporation Street, Blackpool FY1 1LZ, by e-mail to Daniel.welsh@blackpool.gov.uk or by telephone on 01253 476242.Action Plan for Foxhall
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Foxhall
Village to be new Balamory?
Hoteliers in the historic area of ‘Foxhall Village’ Blackpool are facing a
bright future.
It could be set for a Balamory-style makeover as part of plans to revitalise
the neighbourhood.
Guesthouse owners are meeting to discuss whether they want to paint the
fronts of their properties in a variety of different colours.
Balamory is based on the town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull in Scotland
which is famous for its painted houses, as are areas of Cape Town in South
Africa and Miami Beach in Florida.
Mike Edwards, chairman of the ‘Foxhall Village Community Regeneration
Association’, said the work, which would be carried out using council grants,
would be hard for any hotelier to turn down.
He said: "The wow factor of vibrant primary colours will create a magnet
for the village – a-la Balamory or Miami South Beach.
"The first to benefit will be York Street, and the team will then move on
to Yorkshire Street, Bairstow Street and Caroline Street, all this year. The
co-operation of all, or a substantial majority of the owners, is crucial,
otherwise the pilot will take place elsewhere."
The association has also applied for a £74,000 grant from the Local Area
Agreement Fund to provide an outdoor market in Dale Street, artistic lighting
arches, street art, and possibly wall paintings
A community office and magazine is also planned.
Businesses are already investing in their properties, with a new hairdressers,
cafe and fish and chip shop among the latest ventures to open in the area.
