Where to live in Blackpool

[Tjit]

Hi everyone

Hope that everyone has had a restful weekend Posting here for traffic.

We live in London but My DH has recently gotten a job in one of the hospitals in Blackpool so will be based there 3 days a week and needs a base which we can visit during holidays etc

Where do you suggest? We have 2 pre teen children of the same gender and are a family of ethnic minority so we want somewhere we can feel comfortable

We visited and liked poulton de fyre which was really posh, and were also in central Blackpool near the beach which obviously is very touristy and possibly out of our price range

As this will be a 2nd property, our max budget is £120,000, though not sure of where to settle, children's school will remain in London but want a place that we can spend all school holidays etc the property will be a bit of an investment so also need somewhere that will hold it's value etc

I have looked at Layton which seems more affordable but not sure of what the area will be like eg is it diverse, nice, quiet etc?

If anyone knows the area please advise

It's usually the people visiting who bring it down.

Its really not.

I knew this would be on the first page of comments 😆

I would avoid central blackpool (I work bvh) polton is lovely and Thornton, it depends what you want though, I love in the countryside bit (little eccleston area) and it takes me less then 20 mins to get into and home from work driving. Plenty of bus routes to go into blackpool centre if I wanted (I try not to need anything from there though) pm if you want any advise etc

what about st michaels and garstang area? Not a bad commute but not sure if it’s in budget? Whitehaven is too far, looking at 2 hours ish depending on traffic.

I don't think you can base the areas climate on one day!

I’d go for Lytham St Anne’s, Poulton, Thornton or one of the villages eg Warton, Freckleton. The hospital is pretty central and easy to get to. The area around Stanley Park is OK if you want to be in walking distance but I’d generally avoid the town centre.
If you see anything you like and want to post it on this thread we can advise on the location if you like.

As with others I'd avoid central Blackpool at all costs really. We live semi local (about 40 min away) and it is always a sad drive through Blackpool of going to the theatre / beach and it doesn't seem to be improving.

St Anne's would be nice but all the other good areas nearby being mentioned (Wrea Green, St Michaels, Lancaster etc.) you'll struggle to find something for £120k.

Try hospital accommodation for a while until he is sure he wants to stay in the job, I can't imagine it's a nice hospital to work in tbh.

You also want to look at if ur dp has a parking pass etc as parking in the area is a nightmare alot of it is permit only parking and the other spots are usually taken up so there is some times a bit of a walk to and from your car when working at bvh

DH used to work in Thornton clevelys ... at the big chemicals site.
So we live a bit north of Preston...nowhere near that and good access to the motorways. His colleagues who lived on the Fylde would complain how long it took to get off it.

In the OPs situation, given that her DH probably won't want a long commute and somewhere that has something for kids then I'd probably look at st Anne's though I don't know what there might be in their price range. It's nearer Blackpool than Lytham and it's where I used to take DD for a day at the beach (Lytham doesn't really have one, I like it but it's more the end of an estuary than proper seaside).

I don't know what fleetwood is like to live in but that's got a proper beach I think?

Given the OP's budget and desire to be near the hospital, most of the suggestions are going to be non-starters. Whilst Lytham / St Anne's are lovely, they are also expensive. Thornton and Poulton are perhaps not near enough. Whitehaven is a funny suggestion. It's even more deprived than Blackpool and a bastard to get to. Nicer places for their inland would include Garstang but approx 20 - 30 mins away depending on time of day. I think if the OP focuses on the houses / flats very close to the hospital and the Zoo, around the large park, the quality will be fine, the distance from the sea front near enough but also far enough from most of the issues that define Blackpool and the price should be doable. The outskirts of Blackpool are ok. The centre really isn't. It's a great place for half a day out but the best part is leaving for home. I've lived there, Garstang, Preston and towards Southport and Formby for the last 20 years and consider I know the area reasonably well.

St Michaels
There, and anywhere near those rivers check the flood map!

Bolton Le sands

You went to an indoor water park and left early because it was raining outside?

And you have decided you are an expert on the climate of Blackpool based on a few hours here on one day?

ok

BVH has got staff accommodation so would recommend him asking about that for a few months first as BVH is not the best place. Parking for staff at the hospital is a nightmare, someone I know was 1800 in the queue for a pass so she eventually quit her job as parking was getting too difficult and making her late. Warton, Freckleton, Kirkham and Wesham and St Anne's are all within easy reach of the hospital. There is a lot of tourist attractions locally and if you do end up going through with your plans I would recommend Merlin Passes too. None of the fylde coast or wyre is particularly diverse culturally or ethnically. Preston is though and not too bad a commute

Bolton le Sands is miles away!

They’ve just opened a new link road to the M55 which makes parts of North west Preston pretty accessible, eg around the docks. You miss the seaside vibe but it’s an alright area and about 20 - 25 mins to the hospital. And areas like Cottam, which again are not seasidey but are respectable - although I don’t know if budget would stretch. Preston is a lot more diverse than Blackpool generally.

🤣🤣 exactly what I was thinking.

That's >45 minutes from Blackpool hospital according to google maps, even at this time on a Sunday evening.

Penwortham is often cited on here as a nice place to live, and for good reason. It’s about half an hour to drive to Central Blackpool, a bit less to the hospital.

Ah. Soz

They're building thousands of houses in that area, I don't know what the price range is.

It’s a bit close. Might be better to aim for >2 hours just to be on the safe side.

I think if the OP focuses on the houses / flats very close to the hospital and the Zoo, around the large park, the quality will be fine, the distance from the sea front near enough but also far enough from most of the issues that define Blackpool and the price should be doable

This sounds like good advice. Perhaps look at renting in the first instance, then you're not tied to the area if it doesn't work out - the cost of interest on a mortgage (or that lost from savings) would go a long way towards covering the cost of rent and buildings insurance.

Kirkham, Wesham, Warton, Freckleton are all nice areas, with older terraced properties. There are lots of new properties going up around these villages but I don't think your budget would cover that.
Lytham, St Anne's, and Wrea Green are lovely but very expensive housing. Central Blackpool is quite rundown, and would be rowdy at night. Marton and Marton Moss are close to the Hospital, you might find something in those areas.

Agree with this
Most of the posters with the strident negative views have very little local knowledge. The centre of Blackpool is not somewhere you'd want to live so look at places a bit further out like South Shore, St Annes, Bispham or Cleveleys (all of those have a beach).
It's like everywhere, there are good areas and bad areas but it is not as awful as some are suggesting, I have family near there and they love it.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134929016?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=new-homes&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_NEW

Alright actually by the looks of it