BIG names from the worlds of art and architecture were in Blackpool this week to give their views on the resort's future.

Guests at the t,wo-day creative workshop focused on the illuminations, sea defences and the future of the promenade, as part of the Blackpool Masterplan.

They were joined by urban planners from consultants, Jerde and Edaw, who are working on the Masterplan for discussions on Monday and Tuesday.

Participants included Alan Stanton, a London architect who worked with Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers on the Pompidou Centre, Paris, in the 1970s. He was joined by Chris Levine, who has pioneered holographic and laser art, and artist Andy Altman, who worked on Morecambe's ground-breaking 'Tern' project.

Mr Altman said: "Blackpool is already this amazing cultural icon and our challenge is to keep that history and quirkiness and then take it in a new direction.

"We want to keep the fun, keep the excitement and the popular culture, but to improve the quality greatly.

"That way we will change people's attitudes as to what Blackpool is about. We want it to appeal to the much wider range of people who will come to Blackpool with the new casinos and other developments in the Masterplan."

Reg Haslam, head of the New Horizons team charged with implementing the Masterplan, said: "The resort is already a national icon, but the Blackpool experience no longer matches our ambitions.

"We want to modernise the resort and present the visitor with the wonder, surprise and awe that was the hallmark of the resort's Victorian creators.

"We want to keep the essential spirit of seaside fun and the good things which make Blackpool what it is, while at the same time creating new iconic images of the resort."