New restaurant, service station & commercial complex planned for this historic Blackburn factory site

A proposal has been made to Blackburn with Darwen Council to redevelop a section of the Former East Lancs Coach Works in Whalley New Road, Blackburn to include a commercial development comprising of two units (Use Class B2) and a restaurant (Use Class E).

The site has been vacant since 2012 and has been identified by the Council as a ‘Development Opportunity’ in the Local Plan. Consent was granted in 2019 for a mixed-use development.

Agent Urban Future states: “The scheme will bring about notable urban regeneration benefits whist creating many jobs for local people and enhancing consumer choice in the wider locality.” They say the proposal will compliment other phases of the wider site, namely a proposed Petrol Filling Station, which would sit alongside the access point off Whalley New Road.

The proposed site layout shows three detached buildings, two of which are to be dedicated to Use Class B2 whilst one would comprise a restaurant, each with their own respective parking and servicing arrangements. The proposed site layout plan also shows areas of landscaping throughout the site.

In response to the government’s ‘town centre first’ policy, the agent states: “It has been demonstrated that there are no available or suitable sites within the two nearest designated centres (Bastwell and Whalley Range) that could possibly accommodate the proposed restaurant. The Assessment has been undertaken in accordance with the relevant guidance and has shown there to be a dearth of suitable sites within or on the edge of the two nearest centres. It is therefore concluded that none of the sites identified would be available, suitable or viable, unlike the application site.”

The agent also argues the site is well-served by public transport and helps the council meet its quota for commercial building.

What would it look like?

Historically the site was occupied by large buildings but has been cleared and open for a number of years. The scheme being put forward has been “suitably designed to fit in with the street scene”, according to thr agent. They say there would be a number of individual blocks of different sizes “brought together as a coherent whole through the use of a consistent design theme throughout”.

The architecture is described as “modern and welcoming along the key Whalley New Road”.

A decision will be made in coming weeks by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.

For the latest public notices from your area, please visit: https://publicnoticeportal.uk/