BLACKPOOL South MP, Gordon Marsden, says the resort's regeneration must benefit residents as well as visitors.

Speaking in a parliamentary debate on seaside regeneration, Mr Marsden again called for the creation of a seaside regeneration trust, along the lines of the successful coalfield trust.

"Regeneration must benefit residents as well as visitors," said Mr Marsden in the debate last week: "Too often, the balance has not been right, and that has led to local divisions that have hampered regeneration.

"Blackpool, for example, got its first publicly built sports centre only after electing a Labour authority in the 1990s.

"If we do not get it right -- this applies to resident-friendly design as well as to the detail of balancing project finances between the needs of residents and visitors -- we shall regenerate on contentious foundations."

Mr Marsden added: "We need action across government. That action should demonstrate the diversity of needs, and to do that we need the voice of a seaside regeneration trust. It does not need to have an enormous new pot of money.

"By looking at existing government work and the adequacy of current regeneration projects, it could act as the champion for the development of seaside and coastal towns."

He added: "Casinos, not least in Blackpool, have the potential to regenerate employment in the area because of an increase in the number of visitors.

"To be successful, however, proper planning powers and a strategic approach are necessary. That is why I welcomed the August announcement on restricting such liberalisation to casinos of a certain size."