MINUTES OF TOURISM AND REGENERATION OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
COMMITTEE MEETING - 8TH OCTOBER 2009
Present:
Councillor Wynne (in the Chair)
Councillors
Blackburn Haskett
Mineur
Price
Evans
Owen
Stansfield
Jackson
In attendance:
Mr A. Cavill, Assistant Director, Enterprise and Business Development
Mr J. Donnellon, Assistant Director, Built Environment
Miss N. Wyatt, Mr P. Welsh, Mr T. Brown and Mr P. Legg. Tourism and Regeneration
Directorate
Mr S. Sienkiewicz and Miss G. Atkinson, Business Services Directorate
Councillor Mrs Callow, Cabinet Member, Tourism and Regeneration
Mr R. Owen, Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Also Present:
Ms S. Parkinson, Blackpool Gazette
Mr Silcock, Blackpool and Fylde Sea Angling Association
Mr Payne, West Coast Fishing Association
1. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.
2. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 3RD SEPTEMBER 2009
The Committee agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 3rd September 2009 be
signed by the Chairman as a correct record.
3. DECISIONS TAKEN BY THE EXECUTIVE AND CABINET MEMBER
The Committee considered the decisions taken since the last meeting of the Committee
by the Executive and Cabinet Member for Tourism and Regeneration.
With regard to Cabinet Member Decision PH/132/2009, ’New Illuminations Depot - Fit
Out’, a Member of the Committee felt that it was essential that a sprinkler system be
installed in the new building and requested that the Council ensured that a system was
fitted.
MINUTES OF TOURISM AND REGENERATION OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
COMMITTEE MEETING - 8TH OCTOBER 2009
With regard to Cabinet Member Decision PH/140/2009, ’Housing Growth Point’, a query
was raised with regard to the effectiveness of the collaborative working arrangements
with both Fylde and Wyre Borough Councils. The Cabinet Member advised that there
was no proposal for a City of the Fylde Council and therefore previous issues relating to
trust and partnership working with the neighbouring authorities were being rectified.
The Committee agreed that the decisions be noted.
4. FORWARD PLAN
The Committee considered the Forward Plan, Summary of Key Decisions, for the
Tourism and Regeneration Directorate.
With regard to Key Decision 12/2009, ’To consider and approve the draft Blackpool Core
Strategy’, the Committee was advised that the draft document would be presented to the
Executive in December 2009 for approval for the purposes of consultation.
With regard to Key Decision 22/2009, ’Approval of the Blackpool Housing Statement and
Action Plan’, it was reported that it was an interim document which had been designed to
tackle the inner areas of the town while the Housing Strategy was being developed
and was a separate document to the Core Strategy.
The Committee agreed that the decisions be noted.
5. PLEASURE BEACH BLACKPOOL
Mr Owen, Head of Marketing and Public Relations, Pleasure Beach Blackpool, provided
the Committee with a presentation on the company’s marketing activity for the 2009
season.
It was reported that during 2009, Pleasure Beach Blackpool had invested £4m in a
number of key improvements designed to enhance the visitor’s experience of the park.
This had included the development of a number of new attractions, the installation of a
new ticket centre and entrance system and the recruitment of a team of ambassadors to
meet and greet visitors and provide assistance throughout the park. As a result, the
company had reported an increase in customer satisfaction and value for money ratings
and an indication of a shift in the visitor profile.
Mr Owen advised that the £1.5m advertising budget had focused on a number of
television, radio and cinema advertising campaigns and the Committee was presented
with a 30-second video clip which had been used for television advertising. As a result,
there had been a 21 per cent increase in total advertising awareness and 24 per cent
increase in television advertising awareness. Furthermore, there had been an 80 per
cent increase in online bookings and Blackpool was becoming increasingly regarded as
a "fun, family destination".
The Committee was advised that Pleasure Beach Blackpool had a positive working
relationship with VisitBlackpool and had regular meetings to share information and
discuss joint marketing initiatives. The company had positive links to the 365 events,
was a committed member of Blackpool Association of Family Attractions (BAFA) and
MINUTES OF TOURISM AND REGENERATION OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
COMMITTEE MEETING - 8TH OCTOBER 2009
actively contributed to the marketing of the Council’s events by developing their own
series of activities that were designed to compliment major events. The relationship also
provided VisitBlackpool with valuable access to private sector resources to maximise
their marketing opportunities.
It was reported that Pleasure Beach Blackpool would re-open on 13th February 2010
with a number of new attractions. The company was committed to maximising its
advertising budget and would continue to develop its relationship with VisitBlackpool.
The Committee commended Pleasure Beach Blackpool for the cleanliness and
maintenance of the park and felt that it was a positive example for other attractions in the
town to achieve.
In response to a query raised, Mr Owen advised the Committee that all major events that
had been held throughout the year had contributed positively to the Pleasure Beach
Blackpool as they had attracted additional visitors to the town. He felt that it was
essential that the Council continued to focus on major events and ensured that
VisitBlackpool was provided with a marketing budget that was adequate to its needs.
The Committee thanked Mr Owen for his attendance at the meeting.
The Committee agreed to note the presentation.
Background Papers: None.
6. SEASONAL BOOST CAMPAIGN
Miss Wyatt, Head of Visit Blackpool, provided the Committee with an outline of the
Seasonal Boost Campaign which had been funded by the North West Development
Agency (NWDA) to develop additional marketing initiatives that would stimulate visitor
numbers and effectively promote the events programme.
VisitBlackpool had been working in partnership with ReBlackpool and the Lancashire
and Blackpool Tourist Board (LBTB) to develop a detailed marketing plan that was
subsequently agreed by the NWDA for funding of £500,000. An outline of the range of
marketing initiatives that had been delivered was provided to the Committee.
In response to a query raised, Miss Wyatt reported that the television campaign had
been a major success and had resulted in a significant increase in the number of visits to
the VisitBlackpool web site.
Mr Welsh, Head of Business and Visitor Economy Strategy, provided Members with a
summary of the footfall information which had been collated to demonstrate the impact
that the Council’s events had on the number of visitors to the town, for the period of
February to September 2009.
It was reported that the footfall equipment was 99.9 per cent accurate and measured
footfall across six areas of the Town Centre for a period of 24 hours per day. As the
sensors had only commenced operating in February 2009, there was no baseline data
MINUTES OF TOURISM AND REGENERATION OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
COMMITTEE MEETING - 8TH OCTOBER 2009
from 2008 that could be used for comparative purposes and therefore the data provided
could only demonstrate differences in footfall figures between events periods. For
example, the footfall count for the three Friday evenings throughout September
demonstrated a significant increase as a result of the World Fireworks Championship.
In response to a query raised, the Committee was advised that a footfall sensor had
been installed on Topping Street to measure the possible impact that the Hounds Hill
shopping centre may have on the redirection of visitors.
With regard to the sensor on Birley Street, Mr Welsh advised that the additional footfall
caused by the construction and development works in that area would be taken into
account to avoid the production of inaccurate results.
The Committee agreed to note the presentation.
Background Papers: None.
7. LOWER WALK
Mr Cross, Head of Transportation, advised the Committee of the current traffic
restrictions that were in place along Lower Walk which was the parade area along the
Promenade to the west side of the tramway. This area of land was owned by the Council
but was not classified as public highway.
It was reported that the land was currently held for recreational purposes, yet there had
been a number of occasions when the land had been temporarily used for parking or
other purposes, for example to allow vehicle access for business service purposes.
However, general access by private motor vehicles had never been permitted.
Mr Cross explained that a scheme had been implemented this year to sign the area to
the north of North Pier to enable enforcement of the Traffic Regulation Order to be
undertaken. Prior to this, correct signage had not been installed due to a lack of
resources and therefore enforcement could not have been effectively undertaken. The
Committee was advised that there was no ban or restriction on fishing from the parade
areas, yet the use of vehicles along parade for the purposes of fishing had never been
legally permitted.
It was reported that any change to the use of the area, such as for recreation by
individuals with vehicles, would need to be based on the Council being satisfied that the
area was no longer required for its present purpose. This alteration required a public
consultation, together with advertising in the local paper to allow for objections to be
considered.
A discussion took place with regard to the Blackpool and Fylde Sea Angling Association
who had submitted a request for the Council to consider the introduction of a permit
system that would allow individuals to take their vehicles onto the parade area, but for
fishing purposes only. It was also felt that due to the high number of steps down to the
parade area, the impact of the enforcement on disabled anglers needed to be taken into
consideration. As the Council had not enforced the Traffic Regulation Order for a
considerable length of time, anglers had become accustomed to driving their vehicles
MINUTES OF TOURISM AND REGENERATION OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
COMMITTEE MEETING - 8TH OCTOBER 2009
down to the parade area and therefore Members felt that it was important that the
Council acknowledge this, consult with those individuals and consider the request that
had been submitted by the Association. The Committee was advised that should the
Council permit the use of certain vehicles, it would need to consider third party liability
and ensure that it had adequate insurance cover.
In response to a query raised, Mr Cross advised that signage to advise the public of the
vehicle prohibition had always been in place; however, it was not until recently that the
Traffic Regulation Order notices had been installed to allow for enforcement.
The Committee agreed to:
1. Note the report.
2. Request that Transportation Services explore potential methods that would permit
angler's vehicles on to the parade area and that the findings be presented to a future
meeting of the Committee for consideration.
Background Paper: None.
8. COMMITTEE WORKPLAN
Miss Atkinson, Senior Democratic Services Adviser, presented Members with the
updated Committee Workplan.
The Chairman thanked the Enterprise and Employment section for the successful tour of
a range of projects under the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative, which had been
undertaken by the Committee on 7th October 2009.
The Committee agreed to note the updated Workplan.
Background Papers: None.
9. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The Committee noted the date of the next of the next meeting on Thursday 19th
November, commencing at 5.00 p.m. in Committee Room A.
Chairman
(The meeting ended at 6:08 pm)
Any queries regarding these minutes, please contact:
Georgina Atkinson, Senior Democratic Services Adviser
Tel: 01253 477164
E-mail: georgina.atkinson@blackpool.gov.uk