Lancashire wedding and spa venue applies to retain key facilities after planning permission faux pas
Bosses at a Lancashire wedding and spa venue have applied for permission to retain key facilities - after admitting operating “not entirely in accordance with the planning permission granted”.
The Wade family have lodged a retrospective planning application for the retention of a wedding and events venue and a swimming pool and spa complex, three timber holiday lodges, a wedding ceremony building and associated parking areas on land at Oak Bank Farm, Stoneygate Lane, Ribchester.
They have had permission for a range of holiday homes going back to 2011, and in March 2022 were granted permission to demolish an agricultural building and construct a wedding and events venue, site three timber holiday lodges and the create 32 parking spaces.
Following the approval of the application, the applicant’s made the decision to use part of the approved building as a swimming pool and spa facility and to create a separate wedding ceremony building - but didn’t go through the correct planning proceedures.
In a statement to Ribble Valley Borough Council, the family’s agent states: “The reason for this was that they wanted to provide additional facilities for holiday makers staying in the holiday cottages and for users of the wedding venue. By this time they had already commenced development and given the increasingly competitive market with the development of other holiday cottages within a 1Km radius of the site, they felt it was crucial to proceed without delay to ensure business continuation.
“Furthermore, the additional ceremony space was repurposed from a hardstanding, covered bin store and utility room. Since the changes would not result in any adverse material impact in terms of landscape, ecology or highways and the use was linked to the existing and approved use of the site, in order not to delay development they proceeded with a development that was not entirely in accordance with the planning permission granted in 3/2021/0505, in order to avoid delays to the development.”
The agent states the business supports eight time members of staff and 27 part time workers. They argue that although the main building is larger than originally approved and another building has been erected, “there is minimal if any additional impact on the local area or the wider landscape”. They say this is because of the siting of the buildings in a location where they are screened by mature trees and shrubs and because they are situated in close proximity to other development that already existed at the site.
They also argue that the capacity of the venue has not increased and when the building is in use for an event or a wedding the spa and swimming pool are not in use and therefore there will be no additional traffic as a result of the implemented development compared to the approved development.
The spa and swimming pool is used mainly by guests using the wedding venue, but is also hired out to a local children’s swimming school.
A decision will be made by Ribble Valley Borough Council in coming weeks.