Planning permission granted for holiday lets next to Blackpool Grand

Theatres Trust is disappointed with the majority decision of Blackpool Council’s Planning Committee on 13 June to grant permission for holiday accommodation directly above Blackpool Grand Theatre's stage door.

This went against Theatres Trust’s advice and appeared not to appreciate or understand the main issues that had been raised around threats to the theatre’s operations. The Grand Theatre had similarly objected and spoke against the scheme during the meeting.

The proposed development will see conversion of the upper levels of retail space currently occupied by jewellery chain F. Hinds. The location is highly problematic for residential uses, even if intended for short-term stays, because of the potential for noise disruption from the theatre’s get-ins and get-outs which occur late at night and early in the morning. If new restrictions were to be placed on the theatre following complaints this would limit the programme it could accept and in turn compromise its ongoing operation and viability.

Furthermore, access to some flats would be through a door from the passage to the rear of the theatre, which gives rise to health and safety issues if tourists are attempting to access while large lorries are loading or unloading.

Theatres Trust had originally submitted comments to Blackpool Council in January 2023, which highlighted the issues and conflicts associated with this type of development in proximity to theatres citing national planning policy on the ‘Agent of Change’ principle and previous appeal and legal decisions. We indicated the likelihood of objection and urged submission of an acoustic report to assess impacts and set out what mitigations may be necessary if development could be made acceptable.  

The undertaking of the acoustic assessment by the applicant was flawed as it did not take place during a full get-in or get-out. Therefore, the noise levels recorded were unrepresentative of the actual levels of disruption that would be encountered. We submitted an addendum to our comments for Committee urging refusal or deferral for a correct assessment to be undertaken.

This was not appreciated or understood by officers or members, who erroneously referred only to noise from performances, which in this instance was never a primary concern.  

Theatres Trust’s National Planning Adviser Tom Clarke said, “There were strong grounds to refuse this application or at least to defer a decision until more accurate information had been provided. The council’s decision is very disappointing and out of step with recent decisions made by other local authorities. We have seen from the ongoing court case involving Manchester’s iconic Night & Day Café that planning permissions granted without full appreciation of the operational needs of venues can have harmful consequences further down the line.

“The Grand Theatre is not just a major cultural venue for Blackpool which makes a major contribution to the town’s economy and visitor offer, it is also architecturally one of the country’s most significant theatres. The council needs to be working to protect the theatre and ensure that development in the town is sustainable.”