Deckchairs to come back into the fold in Blackpool
DECKCHAIRS are to make a return to Blackpool beach after a 10-year absence amid hopes that the seaside town can become the UK’s staycation capital this summer.
Thousands of visitors spent their summers relaxing by the beach in stripy chairs until Blackpool council suddenly stopped the service.
The council sold its entire stock of 6,000 chairs in 2014, three years after it scrapped its hire service after officials claimed holidaymakers would prefer to sit on benches.
But now, the seaside tradition is set to make a comeback as the council offers space to an operator to run two pitches on the Lancashire promenade, just north of Central Pier.
Claire Smith, the president of the hoteliers group StayBlackpool, told the BBC: “I can’t think of anything nicer than sitting in a deckchair watching the world go by on a sunny day.
“There are days when the sun is out but the tide is in so you can’t go on the beach. So having deckchairs on the prom is ideal.
“We have seen beach huts have a resurgence and I think deckchairs could be the same.”
It is hoped the new scheme will start this month, with the successful operator granted a licence until November, with a chance to repeat the offer between April and November next year.
The deadline for potential operators to submit applications is due imminently. Deckchairs would be available to the public for hire seven days a week between 8am and 8pm.
Visitor numbers to Blackpool have risen consistently over the past decade, with an estimated 18 million holidaymakers spending their break on the Lancashire coast in 2019. The town is also a popular destination for stag and hen parties.