A BLACKPOOL hoteliers' association is acting to calm fears after a draft report proposed some older holiday properties may be targeted for clearance.

One section, on new opportunity zones, inflamed fears that some older guest houses may face the bulldozer.

The draft, to be finalised by December, stresses the need for Blackpool to drag itself up from being one of the country's 65 most deprived areas, with tracts of densely-packed, aging properties, high unemployment, a low skill-base and urban poverty.

And the idea forms part of Blackpool Challenge Partnership's draft bid for £25m from the Single Regeneration Budget to revitalise the town's tourism industry.

Blackpool Hotel and Guest House Association president Pamela Ruddy said: "Our members are saying 'I was planning to invest in my property this winter - should I not bother?'

"Their fear is, if they don't invest, their business will go backwards, but if their area is affected by this, the money would be wasted. "The way it came out was mishandled. It caused alarm when it's really at a very early stage and no areas have been identified. The timing was unfortunate at the onset of winter when many plan property improvements.

"For that reason, in our Journal next week, we're publishing the exact wording of that section of the draft so that our members can see for themselves what it says."

The draft proposes "selective clearance of poor property" and "site assembly and clearance of two major development sites" - areas unspecified.

Challenge Partnership chairman Ivan Taylor said: "The purpose of the bid is to tackle deprivation, but it's also specifically designed to regenerate the tourism industry.

"The idea would be to get finance to assist with the rationalisation of a lot of the guest houses. There is a big over-capacity at present.

"It may be that we'd want to get some clearance eventually but I don't think we'd want to use compulsory purchase orders - that would be a last resort. Normally these things are done by negotiation. Clearly the town's got to face up to the future with some radical approaches."

Tourism executive Coun George Bancroft said it would be quite wrong to start delineating areas. "We're discussing a general concept - there's still a lot to be worked out," he said.

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