Blackpool tram shelter scheme among latest plans approved

Blackpool Council’s Planning Committee refused to remove the condition attached to planning permission for an external staircase which would provide access to a roof terrace at the Bispham Tram Shelter Cafe.

The applicant had challenged the requirement for a guard rail painted in bright colours to make pedestrians and cyclists aware of a door at the rear of the tram shelter.

They said: “My biggest concern is that at the minute we are having a lot of problems with children climbing onto the roof.

“If the guard rail was to be a planning condition, it would just allow children to climb on by using it as a ladder to gain access to the roof more easily.”

But the committee, which had previously agreed the application last November, refused to move the condition and approved the application with the condition included.

Councillors also agreed an application for a house to be built on land accessed from Common Edge Road in Marton by a track which had previously been occupied by a popular flower stall.

Wally’s flower stall had operated for many years on the track until about 10 years ago, with a small shed since being removed.

A council report said there were currently a number of touring and static caravans on the site, which are being lived in, along with dog kennels and outside dog runs.

The report adds a driveway business also appears to be being run from the site.

Despite a number of objections to the scheme from residents, the committee approved the application which planning officers said represented “sustainable development.”

The committee also agreed to add a terrace of Victorian properties on Hill Street in South Shore to the Local List, giving them additional protection from inappropriate development.

A report said the houses at 11 to 19 Hill Street first appeared on a Ordnance Survey map in 1890 and added they made up a “little altered late Victorian terrace which makes a strong positive contribution to the character of the townscape.”