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.
Minutes:
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 and Mr O’Mahoney asked the Planning Committee to approve the application.
The Planning Committee considered the application and Mr O’Mahoney’s representation and noted that the development would bring a much needed improvement to currently empty site. Ms Parker confirmed that the development, if approved, would be conditioned to ensure that the holiday accommodation remained as such. Should the applicant wish to change to residential accommodation then a variation of condition would be required.
Resolved:
To grant planning permission subject to conditions 1 to 22 listed in the Committee Report and the revised condition number 2 listed within the Update Note.
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