Blackpool's distinctive Cedar Tavern is still empty despite upgrade and ambitious plans being approved

The Cedar Tavern in Cedar Square has now been closed as a bar for several years but in 2021 it was refurbished after being awarded a grant from a Blackpool Council-funded project to improve town centre streets.

It underwent a £125,000 improvement scheme under the council’s £2.3m Property Improvement Fund (PIF) which included the installation of new windows, extensive external facade repairs and restoration of the roof.

The upper floor on the premises included a non-functioning and apparently successful two-bedroom apartment now listed on the accommodation website Airbnb and it has been attracting five-star reviews.

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Sign up for our free newsletters now There were big plans for the whole premises in January 2019 after a planning application was approved, which included a roof extension to form a rooftop seating area giving customers views over the town centre.

A design statement, which accompanied the planning application, said it was “proposed to restore and refurbish the faience, where parts of the facade have been damaged over time by impact and other intervention such as signage, plastic plants and lighting.”

Posters on the building announced that rooms, bar and dining were "coming soon" under the name The Charleston.

But only the Airbnb, listed under the same name, opened and "To let" posters subsequently covered the others.

The building, which dates back to the 1930s and was originally used as an insurance centre, is locally listed and sits within the town centre conservation area.

Blackpool Council says the grant allowed work to be carried out satisfactorily to improve not only the builing, with its distinctive pale tiled exterior, but the area around it.

Approached for an update on the premises this week, the council was seeking clarification on what progress is being made to bring the ground floor back into use before it was able to comment.