Morgan Sindall to Restart Blackpool Courthouse After ISG Collapse

Morgan Sindall has signed a contract with HM Courts & Tribunals Service to deliver Blackpool's stalled courthouse scheme, taking over from collapsed contractor ISG.

The contractor is now progressing detailed design for the new court complex at the junction of Devonshire Road and Talbot Road. Fresh planning changes submitted this month show the firm is already working through construction-stage details ahead of a return to site.

The amendments are small in scale but telling. They cover revised highway arrangements, pedestrian access, internal layouts and external materials. The revised scheme also includes a larger bio-solar roof and removes the previously proposed blue roof.

The project was originally costed at around £43m. The final bill is expected to be higher following the delay and the change of contractor.

ISG had been lined up to build the courthouse before its collapse in September 2024 brought progress to a halt. The original programme envisaged construction starting in summer 2024 and completing in early 2026. Planning permission for the replacement courthouse was secured in February 2024.

The need for the new facility has become increasingly pressing. Blackpool Magistrates' Court closed in November 2023 after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was discovered in the building. Cases have since been transferred to other courts across Lancashire, including Preston and Lancaster.

The site itself has already been cleared. The former courthouse and the old Bonny Street police station were demolished in March 2025 to make way for the wider Blackpool Central regeneration scheme, a £300m development.

Funding for the courthouse draws on two public pots: £40m from the Levelling Up Fund and £8m from the Blackpool Town Deal.

The restart marks a significant step for a project that has been effectively frozen since ISG's collapse, and the planning submissions signal that construction-stage decisions are now being locked down. With detailed design progressing and a contract in place, attention shifts to a revised programme and final budget — both of which the delay has already pushed beyond the original early-2026 completion target.