Blackpool's heritage to be protected from demolition risk

The proposals means owners of any locally listed building in the town will need planning permission to bulldoze it.

The controls were first put forward in December 2020 in an Article 4 direction, but public consultation was delayed until earlier this year due to the Covid pandemic.

They remove the requirement for a locally listed building to be within a conservation area to secure protection.

Written objections were received from the Blackpool Piers Company, which wanted to extend the consultation deadline, and from the Pleasure Beach which argued a property on Balmoral Road in its ownership, should not be locally listed.

But the council's executive agreed to go ahead with the Article 4 direction which means planning permission will be required to bulldoze a locally listed building even if it is not in a conservation area - potentially protecting a further 179 buildings.

A report to the executive said the council's head of planning and heritage recommended the "Article 4 direction should be confirmed".

This was because although "the status of locally listed buildings is a material consideration when planning applications are being determined, buildings outside conservation areas are nevertheless vulnerable to demolition because they currently fall outside the scope of planning legislation."

Buildings have been put on the local list by the council due to their significance in the town, although they do not merit a national listing.

Permission can still be granted for demolition but the new rules mean the council will have a say in the decision.

Locally listed buildings demolished in recent years include The George Pub on Central Drive for safety reasons, and the Empire Bingo Hall on Hawes Side Lane.

As part of the same decision, measures have also been confirmed to control external painting of locally listed buildings in order to prevent “irreversible harm” to their character.

The report adds: "In addition, commercial buildings in particular have been the subject of damaging exterior paintwork changes during rebranding exercises.

"A targeted Article 4 direction would remove the permitted development rights which allow total demolition and the painting of exterior walls, bringing these within the planning system so that they can be managed appropriately by requiring planning applications."