Grange Park, Blackpool

Grange Park is a council built and largely council owned housing estate in Blackpool a seaside resort on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England. It consists of about 1,800 dwellings mostly 1940s and 1970s housing, with a population of over 6,000. It is one of the largest council estates in Lancashire and for many years suffered from serious social disorder with a reputation within the town for crime and drugs. Following the establishment, in 1997, of a problem-oriented policing initiative the estate has seen a huge turnround resulting in a Government sustainable community award in 2005.

The estate is part of the borough of Blackpool. The area is mostly urban. Grange Park is Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency. The estate is also in the North West England European parliament constituency. Grange Park has one electoral ward, Park with two councillors.

The estates first housing was built in 1948, and it is the largest council populated area per head of local population in England.

For many years the estate was classed as a socially deprived area and encountered serious problems including poor image, poor educational standards, high unemployment rates, a range of social and behavioural problems and environmental dereliction. In April 1997, the Grange Park Initiative project was established to improve the estate and make it a better place to live. It began as a commitment by Bispham Police, who police the estate, to take a long term problem-oriented policing approach to the communities needs after consultations with local people, councillors and the Resident Association groups.

The Grange Park Initiative objectives when it was established were:

The estate's first Neighbourhood Watch scheme was set up in June 1998. On 4 July 1998, the estate celebrated its 50th anniversary with a procession and an It's a Knockout style competition on the playing fields of Grange Park Junior School.

In February 2005, Grange Park won the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott's Award for Sustainable Communities as part of the Government of the United Kingdom's Sustainable Communities Plan. At the award ceremony, John Prescott said of the estate, "The people of Grange Park live in one of the most deprived parts of the country...but they were determined to do something about it. Thanks to their energy and commitment, they've found new security and confidence in the place they live." Prescott also visited Grange Park during the Labour Party spring conference, spending time at the Blackpool City Learning Centre.

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Wikipedia