Plans for new Blackpool pub to be built set to move a step closer

The investment is part of the Whyndyke Farm development on Preston New Road with the proposed hostelry straddling the boundary between Blackpool and neighbouring Fylde borough.

It means both planning authorities have had to approve the application.

While Blackpool Council gave the nod for detailed plans for the pub in September 2021, the scheme is due before Fylde Council’s Planning Committee on February 1 when it is recommended for approval.

The full Whyndyke Farm scheme already has outline permission including for 1,400 new homes, which was granted in 2018, but development has never come forward.

Westby Parish Council has called for the pub, which is expected to focus on food, to be refused planning full permission until the houses are built.

But in a report to its Planning Committee, Fylde planners say: “The parish council refer to the fact that the development of this community facility is coming forward in advance of any other development on the Whyndyke site.

“This is not considered to be a justified concern as it is a form of development that could serve the existing community located in the area, and the provision of such facilities will only make the Whyndyke development more attractive todevelopers and so bring forward the investment into that site.”

Outline permission for the 225 acre site, close to the junction with the M55 motorway, also sets out facilities including a primary school and a health centre.

The pub would be built on a plot of land on the corner of the existing access that serves The Harbour mental health facility and Preston New Road.

The planning report adds: “The proposal is for the erection of a public house with associated landscaping and car parking areas to be accessed from the existing access point.

“This is a use that is specifically supported by the outline planning permission, and the location of this application reflects the parameters plans for the wider development, ensuring that the principle of this development in this location accords with the outline permission.”

Whyndyke Farm was designated as a ‘healthy new town’ when the development plans first emerged, with a layout designed to encourage walking and cycling.