Huge new Asian wedding and events venue planned for former Accrington gift warehouse

The Ivy Garden (Blackburn) Ltd has applied to Hyndburn Council for planning permission to convert part of Church Bridge Works, Mill Street, formerly the Express Gifts premises.

A supporting statement submitted with the application from the Urban Future Planning Consultancy Ltd says: “The applicant is the proprietor of The Ivy Function venue located on Newton Street, Blackburn. The venue is a highly regarded function room. The applicant seeks to expand and bring such provision to Hyndburn.

“The proposed scheme would utilise a vacant part of the former Express Gifts premises as a private hire function hall for events such as seasonal Asian weddings, seminars, workshops and training events.“There is much demand for this type of development within the town and within the wider East Lancashire region and the proposal is considered to put the vacant site to effective use.

“The proposal would create jobs for local people as well as contribute to sustainable economic growth and would have positive supply chain effects. The site is within a highly sustainable location with excellent public transport links and close to Accrington town centre. The site benefits from a large car park and is accessed from Peel Bank.”

Opening times

It is proposed that the venue would be available for workshops, seminars, meetings and training events Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. The statement continues: “The proposed Asian ‘wedding venue’ provision would be mostly seasonal and would be available seven days per week from 10am to11pm.

The proposal includes the retention of the site’s existing access and egress arrangements and the existing parking facilities.

Express Gifts

Following the failure to secure an urgent £25million loan, Express Gifts went into administration in 2022. It had been one of the largest online retailers, offering a range of products from clothing and footwear to homeware and Christmas ranges.