Pontin’s to close its Blackpool holiday park
September 10, 2009
Pontin’s has announced that it will be closing its holiday park in Blackpool when the current two year lease runs out. It has said that a fall in bookings as well as the need for an expensive overhaul at the site is to blame for the decision.
Chief executive of Ocean Parcs and Pontin’s, Ian Smith pointed out the decision had not been taken lightly and that it had been made with sadness and regret. The 74 staff who run the holiday park will lose their jobs, but talks are in progress to see if the workers can be relocated.
The site will now revert to Pontin’s previous owner, Trevor Hemmings because he retained the freehold on the site when Ocean Parcs took over. It is expected that he will now redevelop the site.
Ocean Parcs is planning to invest in expanding other Pontin’s sites. It said it would be spending £100 million on Southport Pontin’s, which is just 35 miles from the Blackpool site, to create a holiday village. The project will create 250 jobs and the site will be renamed Ocean Parc, Ainsdale on Sea.
The proposed investment plan should be rolled out over the next three to five years but will depend on factors like planning permission applications. In total it is estimated that the new investment plan will create 2,800 jobs including 100 new Blue Coat positions.
Ian Smith said that although everyone was talking about a staycation summer trading across the Pontin’s sites had been a little bit mixed.
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