Verdict delivered on bid to turn old motorbike showroom into South Asian food shop with in-house halal butcher

A previous proposal for the premises in Blackburn Road by Nesar Nikzad was refused approval by Hyndburn Council on the grounds of the lack of planning policy justification from a retail impact perspective.

The new application to the authority included a ‘sequential assessment’ that identifies just two other premises in the town where the new shop could be sited, but finds neither is fully suitable for conversion.

The premises were home to a former motorcycle dealer, KD Motorcycles & Scooters, which was located in Blackburn Road, Accrington, for 65 years, before closing in January 2025 following its relocation to Padiham.

The site has remained vacant ever since.

The proposed store will focus on the sale of foods, fresh produce and groceries, mainly produce of South Asian origin, to primarily cater for the area’s ethnic minority population.

The shop would also include an in-house butcher serving halal meats.

The site is located within an ethnically diverse area where a majority of residents identify as being of the Muslim faith and deriving from South Asian countries.

A planning officer’s report recommending approval with three conditions says: “The authority previously refused full planning permission for the change of use of the application site from a motorbike showroom to a commercial unit.

“The current proposal is almost identical to the previously refused application, but is accompanied by a sequential test.

“The application site is located within an out-of-centre location for the purposes of town centre policies.

“The proposed use would be a main town centre use.

“The application was accompanied by a Sequential Assessment, which considered two commercial properties within Accrington Town Centre and the edge of centre defined areas.

“The assessment demonstrates that the sites identified were too small, and one property did not feature a window display for the opportunity to present items for sale or create an active frontage.

“Alongside a review of the submitted Sequential Assessment, an assessment of available premises listed on Rightmove and Zoopla was undertaken by the case officer.

“However, no premises were identified as suitable to accommodate the requirements of the proposed development within or on the edge of Accrington and Great Harwood, or Oswaldtwistle town centres.

“On this basis, no available and suitable sequentially preferable site was found.

“It is also acknowledged that this section of Blackburn Road does feature several main town centre uses.”

A supporting statement by The Urban Future Planning Consultancy said: “The proposal will simply cater for local residents of the surrounding side streets.”