Developer loses Blackpool Odeon appeal

A planning inspector has backed up the council’s refusal last December of plans by AIM Land to convert the vacant cinema at Bloomfield Central into a 130,000 sq ft self-storage project.

Refusing permission last year, Blackpool Council said the project would “undermine the council’s neighbourhood regeneration objectives”.

Preston-based AIM, which previously traded as Austringer Capital, contested that verdict.

Having previously secured consent to convert the vacant 10-screen cinema – the anchor of the park formerly known as Festival Leisure Park – into a family entertainment centre, the applicant said there was no interest in the site from potential occupiers, leading it to line up Storage King to run a 130,000 sq ft self-storage facility.

With the appeal process still in train, AIM submitted a separate application for the site in August, reducing the storage space to 88,000 sq ft and adding in 4,000 sq ft of F&B units and 9,000 sq ft of trade counter space.

Other occupiers at the Rigby Road site include a Bannatyne’s health centre and McDonald’s, as well as Club 3000 bingo hall and Starbucks, the latter two introduced since AIM bought the asset in 2021.

What next?

AIM will hope that its refreshed application – if not meeting the council halfway, then certainly heading in that direction – will sway planning officers and members, particularly in light of the Backlot cinema now being open for business at the Houndshill shopping centre.

Matthew Sobic, director in Savills’ commercial planning team, told Place North West: “We’re disappointed with the decision, we believe that this proposal would have represented a positive repurposing of the building with a facility supporting local businesses in central Blackpool, without requiring any demolition.

“We remain committed to working with the council to find a way forward and to continue the significant investment AIM has already made at the site in recent years.”

The developer has employed a fresh project team for the revised application, with Savills advising on planning and NORR as architect. WSP and Bowman Riley advised on the original self-storage application.

For more information on the updated plans for the site, use reference number 24/0416 on Blackpool Council’s planning portal.

The inspector’s verdict

Planning inspector M Ollerenshaw made a site visit and held the hearing on the original application on 4 September. Although there were other elements to the application, around drive-thru lanes at smaller units, the hearing centred on one main issue: the suitability of storage as a use in what is the anchor building at the park.

Blackpool’s plan-led strategy was influential on the inspector’s ruling. They said: “The proposal would be of a substantial scale that could be expected to serve a large area and it is reasonable in my view that it should be located on allocated employment land and sites which are more accessible to the strategic road network.

“That would support the Council’s aim to enhance and redevelop its employment land. Although I accept that the proposal is a very specific Class B8 use, it would nevertheless result in a large-scale employment use on an established leisure park, contrary to the plan-led strategy for Blackpool which seeks to direct such development to allocated employment land and sites.”

Savills and Barker Proudlove both appeared for the applicant. It was recorded that the Odeon unit had been marketed with no success for two years, initially targeting cinema operators, and then smaller leisure firms.

However, the inspector said that “little detailed evidence” had been provided to substantiate the argument, and thus they could not be satisfied that the marketing exercise demonstrates that there is no prospect of the unit being used for leisure purposes or that the proposed use is the only viable one.

Another factor referenced by the inspector was that while Storage King has a consent to extend an existing Blackpool premises, it has not yet done so, which “does not support the view that there is an overwhelming need for additional self-storage floorspace”.

Summing up, the inspector said: “I conclude that the proposal would undermine the development plan strategy relating to employment land and attracting employment investment and growth to those areas. It would also be contrary to the Council’s regeneration objectives for the Inner Area and would undermine a sense of place.”

Killian Garvey of Kings Chambers represented Blackpool Council.

All matters relating to the original application can be viewed on Blackpool Council’s planning portal with the reference 23/0511