Blackpool Council beats Wyre in planning tussle
The planning inspector has weighed in on Blackpool Council’s outline application to build up to 330 homes on land south of Blackpool Road in Poulton-le-Fylde, a proposal Wyre Council rejected in March last year.
At the time, Wyre cited the impact the development would have on highway safety due to an increase in traffic congestion at the junction of Blackpool Road and Blackpool Old Road.
Inspector Andrew McGlone disagreed, stating that the proposals included two access points that could be priority junctions and would mean the site could be accessed in a safe manner. The inspector noted that access is a reserved matters affair, but also added that planning conditions and Section 106 agreements could resolve the traffic concerns.
“I recognise that the proposal would result in additional traffic on the local highway network, and that at peak times this would exacerbate the existing situation,” McGlone wrote in his decision.
“However, in taking into account the package of highway measures, the proposal would not prejudice road safety and the safe, efficient and convenient movement of all highway users. Hence, it would not cause an unacceptable impact on highway safety or cause a severe residual cumulative impact on the road network.”
DC & MG Associates drew up the plans for the site. Credit: via planning documents
The inspector noted that the application had been refused against officer recommendation. He said it was clear planning officers had taken into consideration the feedback from the Highway Authority and National Highways on the plan, which offered no objections to the plans.
McGlone stated that modifications to make the junction safer could include forming a lane on Blackpool Road to allow for vehicles to wait and turn right, increasing the carriageway width of Blackpool Old Road, and creating a central island to allow for safe pedestrian crossings.
Other concerns regarding healthcare and education could be addressed via an s106 agreement, McGlone said.
In granting the appeal, McGlone gave the scheme several conditions to meet. The development must be constructed in phases to allow for proper funding and maintenance mechanisms to be put in place to help reduce flood risk. He also added a condition that Blackpool Council must secure necessary on- and off-site highway works for the project.
McGlone criticised Wyre Council for how it introduced new evidence into the proceedings.
In a letter ordering Wyre Council to cover part of Blackpool Council’s costs for the appeal, McGlone wrote: “The applicant [Wyre Council] has incurred unnecessary and wasted expense in the appeal process due to the council’s unreasonable behaviour in submitting new technical evidence at a late stage without meaningful dialogue about the model or its conclusions or the involvement of the Highway Authority.”
Blackpool’s now-approved application calls for the building of up to 330 homes on 30 acres that the council owns. Of those homes, 30% could be affordable. The designs by architectural firm DC & MG Associates also include eight acres of green infrastructure.
De Pol Associates is the planning consultant for the project, Curtins is the engineer and Cameron S Crook and Associates is the ecologist.
The application’s reference number with Wyre Council is 19/00615/OULMAJ. The appeal’s reference number with the planning inspectorate is APP/U2370/W/21/3278191.
Parking to go shopping in Poulton is a nightmare now. More houses in the area will only make things worse!!
By Anonymous
This is a damaging and ridiculous decision.
Blackpool BC should not be able to dictate what happens in Wyre, especially on this scale. The original application was refused due to queuing traffic at the nearby level crossing, exacerbating the already congested roads in Poulton. Also, this is not an allocated site. To build up to 330 properties on an unallocated site when Wyre is already awash with sites where the principle for development has been established just rubbishes the premise of an adopted Local Plan. It can hardly be described as a windfall site!
Shameful from the Planning Inspector, who cannot have much idea about the area to arrive at this decision.
By Anonymous
Not knowing the site history, how has Blackpool Council ended up with a landholding in Wyre Council’s jurisdiction?
By Anonymous
As someone that lives near Carleton Crossing off Blackpool Rd, the infrastructure here badly needs sorting asap before a major accident happens. And that’s without any of the new traffic that will invariably occur if this planning goes ahead!
By Anonymous
I’ll tell you now, drainage will be a nightmare. The replacement sewers, installed along Blackpool Road in the early 90’s, will not cope with all the new properties because the calculated pipe size was reduced, to ensure budgets were met. I know this because I was told it by the engineer responsible for the drainage replacement work, at the time. I moved away from the area because this was always on the cards.
By Anonymous
Ridiculous!! Poulton can’t cope with the amount of traffic as it is. There is a limit to how much a village like this can take. I only live five minutes away from the centre, but it can take more than twenty minutes in the car because of congestion. If this is to continue then we need more car parking and more schools preferably with a car park and another medical centre!!
By Lynne Severns
Poulton le Grange
By Belinda Lee
Twenty years ago, my house would have been considered to be on the very fringes of Poulton-Le-Fylde, A literal stone’s throw from the countryside. Now it’s considered to be slap-bang in the middle of town.
And with all this new housing comes the overlooked consequences of Traffic gridlock, Light and Noise Pollution (Not to mention the amount of dust whipped up from these building sites) and the amount of Crime & Vandalism has noticably increased. Not to mention the overburdened Schools, Doctors, Shops and even the Train station.
With every new housing plot, I just want to leave the area.
By Anonymous