A DRIVE to regenerate Morecambe should focus more on creating jobs than on providing new housing, according to a report before Lancaster City Council this week.

Following months of public consultation about ways to revitalise the town, coun-cillors were asked to adopt the Morecambe Action Plan at full council Wednesday.

The regeneration review board called on the council to accept the plan but asked for more emphasis to be put on job creation locally than the need for new homes.

During the debate, Alex-andra's ward Cllr Trevor Tattersall said he supported the Action Plan but the state of some properties in the resort could not be ignored and had to be tackled.

"Don't you think, in certain circumstances, demolition is needed?" he asked.

The plan has attracted widespread interest - earlier this year, 120 people attended an event at The Platform to learn more about the draft plan, while scores of others have responded to a public consultation.

Various measures to rejuv-enate the town have been explored on behalf of a ste-ering group including council leader Cllr Tricia Heath, Morecambe MP Geraldine Smith, Morrisons' property director Roger Owen and the North West development Agency.

Over the past months, local residents have backed the vision to strengthen More-cambe's appeal as a tourism destination, enhance the town centre and take radical' steps to improve housing.

It was felt priority should go to restoring key buildings the Midland Hotel and Winter Gardens and to redeve-loping the Bubbles site. Residents also wanted to see more all-weather leisure facilities, especially a pool.

Councillors were still debating the plan as the Citizen went to press.

April 24, 2003 09:00