Council completed the purchase of Blackpool Tower, the Winter Gardens and the Golden Mile Centre from Leisure Parcs Limited.

Merlin Entertainments (Merlin), has been appointed by Blackpool Council to manage the redevelopment and operations of the iconic Blackpool Tower complex and Louis Tussauds Waxworks. This is part of a ground breaking regeneration initiative designed to bring the town back into the premier league of European holiday centres.

Council Leader Peter Callow said. ”This is a fantastic deal for Blackpool securing long-term investment in the resort, and is the culmination of months of negotiations.

Sir Howard Bernstein, Chair of ReBlackpool, said: “This is a bold but necessary initiative which provides the best possible platform for strengthening the destination role of the town. I am confident that this will result in a significant increase in jobs and visitor numbers and will weld together all the other valuable projects and programmes which are designed to make Blackpool an attractive place to live, visit and invest. "

Craig Hemmings, Director of Leisure Parcs said: “We are extremely proud of our long association with Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens, Louis Tussauds and The Golden Mile Centre but we recognise that these popular assets are part of Blackpool’s heritage. We have worked hard with Blackpool Council to find a deal that would allow these iconic attractions to be owned by the Town, and to be enjoyed by future generations”.

Crown Entertainment Centres Limited will operate the Winter Gardens complex in partnership with the Council.