The People’s Playground, Blackpool: The Northern Lights

The Seafront as it could look at night with the spectacular Northern Lights.

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Blackpool is a seaside town in the north west of England famous for being a place to enjoy life to the full. Its iconic qualities: the tower, illuminations, trams and pleasure grounds place it apart from mundane everyday life. Like many British coastal towns it started life as a resort for those working in the industrial towns of England when paid holidays were made compulsory.

Blackpool has always been a fun place, constantly changing with the times. Known as a venue for comedy, ballroom dancing, clubbing and rollercoasters it attracts people from far and wide. Today, the town is changing once more as it strives to re-establish itself as a top destination offering quality facilities and a chance to escape into a stunning landscape that transports you from day to day concerns.

In 2007 we brought together a team of artists, engineers, lighting designers, product designers and architects to win an intensely fought international competition to transform the Blackpool seafront into the People's Playground. We are now working to deliver our new landscape for this famous seafront.

Our scheme, part of vital sea defence work, creates a new seafront park comprising a broad promenade and six new ‘headlands'. Visible from the M6, some 15 miles away and beyond, the centrepiece will be the Northern Lights, a spectacular aerial lightshow above the seafront inspired by the Aurora Borealis.

Each headland will be part of a surreal dunescape with its own identity and role. The first to be built is the Blackpool Tower Festival Headland, at the centre of the town's seafront. It includes the Comedy Carpet which is a large-scale floorscape design connecting the tower and seafront. Inspired by Blackpool's tradition of entertainment it will feature a collection of timeless catch phrases from some of the great comedians that have performed in the town.

The Tower Festival Headland is just the first stage in the regeneration of the seafront complementing other projects around the town that are working toward reinvigorating Blackpool's economy and environment, helping local communities thrive.