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New tower experience
From the archive, first published Thursday 9th Mar 2006.
Visitors to Blackpool Tower are set to get a new view on the resort's most famous landmark this year.
For the first time, members of the public could be using walkways normally only seen by tower staff under plans revealed this week by the building's owner, Leisure Parcs.
The tower is taking its inspiration from landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Canada's CN Tower by allowing public access to walkways within the tower structure, to be accessed from the roof of the tower building.
"At most of these buildings they have something you can do within the tower structure itself," said tower marketing chief, Tim Dixon: "We have got a lift that goes to the four levels at the top but we get requests every week from people wanting to abseil down or climb up the tower. This will be the kind of tower visit you can't get anywhere else and another element for visitors to the tower.
"This is a working environment where people are welding and painting so visitors will have to wear a hard hat and boilersuit for safety reasons."
The plans will need planning permission and listed building consent but there are hopes that the scheme will be in place for the start of the main summer season in July.
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