Morgan Sindall Construction has begun on-site works for Blackpool's new Multiversity campus in the town centre, marking the milestone alongside Blackpool Council and Blackpool and The Fylde College.

The 115,000 sq ft development is scheduled to open in September 2028 and is expected to bring 3,000 students, apprentices and staff into the heart of the town, supporting wider regeneration.

The project is the fourth phase of Blackpool Council's £350 million Talbot Gateway programme around Blackpool North railway station, complementing a wave of public and private investment reshaping the town centre.

Recent additions in the area include a four-star Holiday Inn with restaurant, an upgraded transport interchange and a new Department for Work and Pensions town centre office, while a further government office for 1,100 employees is due to open next year.

Following earlier demolition and site clearance, Morgan Sindall Construction has now moved into the main construction programme. George Street has been closed to traffic and will be transformed into new public realm once the scheme completes.

Steven Gregory, Area Director, Morgan Sindall Construction, said: "Reaching this stage is a hugely proud moment for everyone involved in the Multiversity project. Over the past few years, an enormous amount of work has gone on behind the scenes by Blackpool Council, Blackpool & The Fylde College, our project partners and the wider delivery team to carefully shape and prepare this scheme for construction.

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"Seeing work now begin on site is a significant milestone and a real testament to the collaboration, commitment and shared ambition of all those involved. This development will be transformational for Blackpool, creating an inspiring new education hub in the heart of the town centre while helping to drive opportunity, regeneration and long-term economic growth for the community.

"As a North West business, we're incredibly proud to be delivering a project that will leave such a lasting legacy for future generations."

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: "It's incredibly exciting to see construction begin on the new Multiversity campus. This marks another major milestone for the town, with the Multiversity playing a central role in our plans to make Blackpool an even better place to live, work and learn."

Alun Francis, Chief Executive of Blackpool and The Fylde College, said: "This is a defining moment for the Multiversity – and for the future of education in Blackpool. This represents a bold statement of ambition for the town, creating a flagship development that strengthens our connection to the wider region as the economy evolves and demand for higher-level skills continues to grow."

Over the coming months, the team will advance structural works on the five-floor building. Over the next 12 months, a package of highways improvements will also be delivered to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety around the Multiversity site and Talbot Gateway, including upgraded traffic signal junctions, revised road layouts and new pedestrian crossings, part-funded by the UK Government through the £17 million Town Centre Access Scheme.

A subsequent phase on the site has been identified in the recently published Lancashire Growth Plan as a key transformational priority, with proposals in development for a wider skills and education campus to support the college's future growth.

The land for the Multiversity was purchased with the support of a £9 million Government grant through Blackpool's Town Deal in 2021, while construction received a further £40 million in 2023 from the Levelling Up Fund. These are now combined into a single Local Regeneration Fund.