New images show latest bid to transform the former Abingdon Street Post Office into an Indigo Hotel following £8m Levelling Up Fund grant

Updated plans have been lodged with Blackpool Council this month seeking permission to refurbish the Grade II listed building on Abingdon Street.

The ambitious £26m scheme was awarded £8m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund in March after twice being turned down for funding in bids made by the council.

Full planning permission was granted in November 2021 with the site earmarked to become a 144 room Indigo Hotel.

The revised application, submitted by Franklin Ellis Architects on behalf of developer Ashall Projects, is seeking permission for a number of small amendments including a mixture of around 150 rooms,

Ashall, which has a proven track record in restoring historic buildings, has previously said it wants to convert the former Post Office and sorting office into an Indigo Hotel.

A design statement says the “current application has been developed to accommodate changes in the market and current demand”.

The proposal aims to develop “a high-quality hotel, including a mix of around 150 quality rooms that are suitable both for the conference/corporate market and the leisure market”.

The ground floor would also include a restaurant and bar for hotel guests and non-residents, with frontages on both Abingdon Street and Edward Street, with the design incorporating the old post office counter.

The application adds: “The development will seek to provide an ‘oasis in the centre of town’ feel for visitors and guests, whilst enhancing Blackpool’s high end guest room offering alongside the provision of several options for events and meetings to improve the town’s corporate and conferencing offering.”

Existing planning approval includes for a four and five storey link extension with roof top terraces between the former Post Office and sorting office, a three storey rear extension to the former Post Office and internal and external alterations.

The Post Office closed in 2007, with the sorting office moving to a new site in Bispham in 2015, and since then the building has fallen into disrepair.

The scheme received £8m when as part of the Spring Budget the Government allocated just over £200m of unallocated funding to levelling up projects, which must be spent in 2023/24.