Blackpool’s new civil service hub tops out

The Civil Service Hub, a focal point of the wider £350m regeneration of Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway, has topped out. The £100m, 215,000 sq ft, highly sustainable workspace, which will be home to over 3,000 civil servants once complete in 2025, is being delivered by nationwide placemaker, Muse, Blackpool Council, and VINCI Building.

The seven-storey building – located at King St near Blackpool North train station – has been designed to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards which means it incorporates best practice in sustainable building design, construction, and operation. 

With carbon assessments conducted at the project’s outset to aid the reduction of the building’s total carbon footprint, features supporting the Civil Service Hub’s sustainability credentials include:

• Terracotta façade panels – an acknowledgement of the town’s architectural heritage – that are highly sustainable and help reduce the building’s embodied carbon 
• Consumption-led mechanical and electrical services that will create energy savings whilst improving the building’s indoor environment for occupiers
• Air source heat pumps to provide low-carbon heating and cooling 

All these design features will provide a wellbeing boost for occupiers and contribute to increased productivity.

Designed by London-based Make Architects, the building will also feature a large reception lobby and a high-quality fit-out including open plan working areas, meeting rooms, quiet zones, and other flexible workplace settings, with high levels of natural daylight and generous, airy ceiling heights throughout. 

Furthermore, with ground floor facilities that encourage active travel – including cycle storage, showers, and changing facilities – the Civil Service Hub aims to promote sustainable transport for visitors and residents. It is within walking distance to the new tram interchange and Blackpool’s North train station; is on the local bus network; and will be connected via cycle and pedestrian routes. 

This will help to bring new people into the town centre, increasing footfall, and boosting trade for local businesses.

The regeneration of Talbot Gateway has already delivered the 125,000 sq ft Number One Bickerstaffe Square council office, a Sainsbury’s supermarket, and a refurbished 650-space multi-storey car park, alongside extensive public spaces for the community to enjoy. 

A new 4 star 144-bedroom Holiday Inn hotel and Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurant – connected by improved transport links to Blackpool’s popular tourist attractions – are now open too, whilst plans have also been approved for a multiversity campus for Blackpool and the Fylde College.

Elsewhere, full planning permission is being sought by Muse and Blackpool Council for a new £45 million, 52,950 sq ft workspace off Talbot Road which would be home to over 1,000 employees, and plans for a new multi-storey car park are also expected to be submitted later this summer. 

Alan McBride, Technical Director at Muse, says: “The long-standing partnership between Muse and Blackpool Council continues to help build a brighter Blackpool through regeneration that’s fit for the future, and with the Civil Service Hub topping out, it’s rewarding to see another milestone ticked off as part of our programme to transform the town.

“This highly sustainable building will help to provide a significant boost to the town centre’s economy, and by incorporating design features that are a nod to Blackpool’s rich cultural heritage, we’re helping to forge a new chapter for the town while remembering the culture and history that have contributed to Blackpool’s iconic status.”

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Redeveloping the area around Blackpool North train station is a major part of our plans to make Blackpool better, creating jobs and opportunities for local people. 

“If you look around town, you can already start to see new private businesses using the opportunity of extra workers on their doorstep and investing in new or improved premises and creating jobs for local people, which is fantastic.

“Anybody who has visited the town centre in the last eighteen months has seen the Civil Service Hub becoming a new landmark on the Blackpool skyline, but we are also making sure that it impacts local people positively. Working with Muse and VINCI Building, we have made sure that local Blackpool and Lancashire businesses have won contracts where possible, while we are committed to helping young people in Blackpool to find work and training on site.”

Gary Hughes, Regional Director for VINCI Building, commented: “We’re proud to be working with Muse and Blackpool Council in delivering this key project, which will undoubtedly create one of the most modern public workspaces in the UK, while setting a new benchmark in sustainable construction.

“From the outset, we have sought to create new employment opportunities for local people. By engaging with local organisations, we have been able to create an on-site skills academy which provides real-life training and education opportunities for those people furthest from the employment market and seeking work within construction. This remains extremely successful in upskilling future talent towards an industry which continues to cry out for skilled personnel.”

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• The Civil Service Hub – a £100m, 215,000 sq ft highly sustainable workspace – has topped out
• Forms phase three of the wider £350m regeneration of Talbot Gateway in Blackpool
• Will be home to over 3,000 civil servants once complete in 2025 
• Is being delivered by Muse, Blackpool Council, and VINCI Building