Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:

(1) the type of interest concerned either

(a)   personal interest

(b)   prejudicial interest

(c)    disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI)

and

(2) the nature of the interest concerned

If any member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 26 July 2022 as a true and correct record.

The Committee considered the minutes of the last meeting held on the 26 July 2022.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee held on 26 July 2022 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Planning Committee considered a report on Planning/Enforcement appeals lodged and determined since the last meeting. There had been three appeals against the Council’s refusal of planning permission and two appeals against refusal of advertisement consent. Four appeals had been determined against the Council’s refusal of planning permission and all four had been dismissed.

Resolved:

To note the update.

The Committee will be asked to note the outcomes of the cases and support the actions of the Service Manager, Public Protection.

The Planning Committee considered an update on enforcement activity in Blackpool from 1 July to 31 July 2022.

In total 70 new cases had been registered for investigation in July 2022, as at 31 July 2022, 471 “live” complaints were outstanding and 14 cases had been resolved by negotiation without recourse to formal action. A total of 40 cases had been closed during the month and five formal enforcement notices had been issued on the terms and for the reason outlined in the report.

Resolved:

To note the update.

The Committee will consider a report regarding establishment of a South Shore Area of Special Local Character and the development of design guidance following public consultation.

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Planning (Quality and Control) which asked the Planning Committee to support the principle of creating areas of special local character and in particular to support establishment of a South Shore Area of Special Local Character in principle. The South Shore Area of Special Local Character would enable the setting of locally listed buildings within the boundary of the area to be better managed and would enhance historic areas that did not meet the criteria for Conservation Area designation.

Ms Susan Parker, Head of Development Management, noted the examples given of specific buildings within South Shore and advised the Committee that the Area of Special Local Character would run alongside the locally listed buildings. When making planning decisions, the fact that an application property was situated within such an area would be taken in account in respect of planning balance.

Should the Committee endorse the South Shore Area of Local Character then the Head of Planning (Quality and Control) would undertake a period of consultation with local residents and bring a report back to a future Planning Committee.

Resolved:

1.      To support the principle of creating areas of special local character.

2.      To support the establishment of a South Shore Area of Special Local Character in principle and to ask officers to undertake a period of consultation proportionate to the impact of the proposed ‘local listing’.

3.      To request that the Head of Planning (Quality and Control) draws up design guidance and brings forward a further report to a future Planning Committee.

To consider planning application 21/0945 for the erection of a seven-storey building comprising of 26 serviced holiday apartments with balconies at sixth floor level with associated bin and cycle stores and car parking.

The Planning Committee considered application number 21/0945 for the erection of a seven-storey building comprising of 26 serviced holiday apartments with balconies at sixth floor level with associated bin and cycle stores and car parking at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel, 332-334 Promenade, Blackpool.

Ms Susan Parker, Head of Development Management, presented the report to the Planning Committee and advised that the application had been brought before the Planning Committee because it was a major-scale proposal in a prominent site within the North Promenade Conservation Area. A summary of the application was provided which was to build a seven-storey building to provide 26 holiday flats. The application had received no objections from consultees, nor had it received any objections from members of the public.

The proposal was considered to be acceptable in principle and Ms Parker provided the Planning Committee with clarification regarding the height and visual impact of the scheme and confirmed that the top of the fifth storey would align with the original eaves level of the adjacent properties on the Promenade and the sixth storey would align with the mansard roof on the neighbouring property. The seventh storey would be set back from the building edges and plans received by Planning Officers demonstrated that the building would broadly follow established building lines of the Promenade and Derby Road. The revised plan was reflected within the Update Note, with the appropriate condition to be amended, should the Planning Committee grant planning permission.

Ms Parker noted the impact of large areas of glazing within the proposal and that details of glazing materials, surfacing and would be agreed through condition. Landscaping was proposed which would soften the appearance of the development, enhance biodiversity and drainage and no particular issues relating to drainage, flood risk, ecology or environmental quality had been identified. The Committee was advised that the proposed was not expected to have an unacceptable impact on neighbour amenity, and that appropriate noise mitigation measures had been proposed.

The overall standard of accommodation was considered to be good and Ms Parker acknowledged that 13 parking spaces had been proposed for 26 flats, which fell well below Council Standards. However, the site was in an accessible location on the Promenade and the former use of the site, as the Ambassador Hotel, had not had the benefit of any greater off-street parking provision.

The proposal would bring a prominent, vacant site back into and this was considered to outweigh concerns relating to parking provision or slight shortfalls in floor-space and Ms Parker recommended the Planning Committee to grant planning permission subject to the conditions listed and the revised condition, as detailed in the Update Note.

Mr G O’Mahoney spoke in support of the application as the applicant and advised the Committee that he had purchased the site with the intention of providing residential accommodation, however it was now the intention to provide 26 holiday flats. The development would provide high quality holiday accommodation at a prominent site on the Promenade  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider planning application 22/0135 for the use of premises as a mortuary with associated parking to front with emergency staircase to rear.

The Planning Committee considered application number 22/0135 for the use of premises as a mortuary with associated parking to front with emergency staircase to rear at 64B Cornwall Avenue, Blackpool, FY2 9QW.

Ms Susan Parker, Head of Development Management, presented the report to the Planning Committee and advised that this application before the Committee as it had been subject to significant public interest. The site currently held planning permission under use class B8 for warehousing and distribution and had more recently been used as a food bank. Whilst in use as a food bank, the premises had been the subject of a number of complaints in relation to traffic and parking issues.

The Planning Committee was advised that the proposed application had seen significant changes since its first submission and those changes had taken concerns raised by members of the public into account. Though no objections had been received from consultees, objections had been received from 44 members of the public which were detailed in the Committee Report and further in the Update Note.

Ms Parker noted that mortuaries performed a vital community service and usually operated in a discreet manner. The residential context of the area was accepted, however the existing use of the building was commercial, the proposed use was considered to be acceptable in principle and therefore there was no reason to consider the mortuary to be inherently unsuitable in the residential location proposed. The Planning Committee was advised of the method of loading/unloading bodies as detailed within the submitted Management Plan, given details of chemical storage onsite and use of the proposed infection examination room. The standard operating hours were confirmed as 8am to 6pm and the use of chiller and ventilation facilities would be controlled by condition. The Committee was advised of the Planning Officer’s view that the proposed use was considered to have a lesser impact on neighbouring properties than the current B8 use and the external alterations were considered to be acceptable.

Ms Parker advised the Committee that off-street parking was limited and there was no opportunity to provide more parking, however it was not anticipated that the proposed use would generate more parking demand than the current B8 warehousing use and the benefits of cessation of B8 use were considered to outweigh any parking concerns. The Planning Committee was recommended to grant planning permission subject to the conditions listed in the Update Note.

Ms Sally Shields spoke on behalf of local residents in objection to the application and emphasised to the Planning Committee the number of residents that opposed the proposals. She gave examples of how the proposal to operate a mortuary on the site had affected her family personally and how this had also affected other residents. In her view the application was ambiguous in its description of the first floor storage area and the scale of the operation, with little information provided in respect of the use of chemicals and the impact of limited parking on the surrounding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider planning application 22/0375 for the use of premises as flexible serviced holiday accommodation of up to two units.

[Councillor Mark Smith joined the meeting].

The Planning Committee considered application 22/0375 for the use of premises as flexible serviced holiday accommodation of up to two units.

Ms Susan Parker, Head of Development Management, outlined the application and advised the Planning Committee that it had been brought before them at the request of the Ward Councillor and also due to the level of public interest.

The Planning Committee was advised of initial proposals for the two properties to be used together to accommodate up to 35 people, which had been considered excessive and inappropriate. Planning permission was now sought to use numbers 44 and 46 Hull Road as two separate group holiday accommodation with each properties being a six bedroom group holiday house accommodating 14 people in each.

Ms Parker noted that no objections had been raised by the Council’s Highways department or Environmental Protection, subject to appropriate conditions being imposed relating to site management and noise attenuation and those conditions were proposed within the Committee Report, along with three representations also detailed. The properties fell within the designated Central Holiday Accommodation Area meaning that use as holiday accommodation was considered to be acceptable in principle.

The proposed properties met the Council’s floorspace standards and a Management Plan had been submitted alongside noise attenuation measures designed to ensure that the holiday accommodation use did not have an unacceptable impact on neighbour amenity. Though no parking was proposed on site, it was noted that the site was in an accessible location and no highways issues had been identified. The application was considered to be acceptable and the Planning Committee was asked to grant planning permission subject to the conditions listed in the Committee Report.

Mr Chris Jones, as the Applicant, spoke in support of the proposals and informed the Planning Committee of his intention to invest in the building to provide good quality family accommodation in Blackpool and noted that he had engaged with Planning Officers and objectors.

Councillor Mark Smith spoke on the application as Ward Councillor and raised residents’ concerns regarding the management plan and noise attenuation, particularly in respect of the proposed 24-hour telephone number, rather than on-site management.

The Planning Committee discussed the application, noting that the application was for holiday accommodation within Blackpool’s Main Holiday Accommodation and was advised by Ms Parker that new holiday accommodation was increasingly in the form of group holiday houses and the majority of these did not have on-site management. Issues regarding antisocial behaviour tended to be in relation to outdoor spaces and due to the constraints of this site, there was very little outdoor amenity space provided. In addition, proposed condition 5 stated that if approved, the accommodation could only be used for serviced holiday accommodation which in planning terms was sui generis and therefore to be used for no other purpose.

Resolved:

That planning permission is granted subject to the conditions set out within the Committee Report.

[Councillor Mark Smith left the meeting at the conclusion of this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To consider planning application 22/0577 for the replacement of windows to the front elevation including the retention of stain glass toppers.

The Planning Committee considered application number 22/0577 for the replacement of windows to the front elevation including the retention of stain glass toppers at 42 Leicester Road, Blackpool.

Ms Susan Parker, Head of Development Management, outlined the application and advised that this was before the Planning Committee because the applicant was a Councillor.

In respect of consultees the Council’s Built Heritage Manager supported the schemed and although the Blackpool Civic Trust had expressed a preference for timber frames, the majority of the glazing in the area was Upvc framed. The proposed fames were outlined and were considered to acceptable and the Planning Committee was recommended to grant planning permission subject to the conditions listed in the Committee Report.

Resolved:

To grant planning permission subject to the conditions listed in the Committee Report.

To note the date of the next meeting as 11 October 2022.

Resolved:

To note the date of the next meeting as 11 October 2022.