Marvins cocktail bar could be heading for new Blackpool site

Alex Huckerby, who already operates his Marvins brand in Poulton and Lytham, has been given planning permission to launch a third outlet in the former B&M Bargains store on Highfield Road in South Shore.

Proposals were first revealed in April 2020 for Marvins to take over Coles the Jewellers on the other side of Highfield Road, but that scheme never went ahead as the Covid pandemic locked down the hospitality industry.

The investment will be the latest addition to HIghfield Road’s burgeoning night time economy which has seen Winston’s expand in recent times, and the opening of J D Drinkwater’s Ale House.

The application was approved despite objections from residents at six nearbyy addresses who warned about the risk of noise from the premises, late night disruption from customers and added there were “more than enough drinking establishments on Highfield Road.”

But planners, who approved the application using delegated powers, said the use of the building was acceptable in an area which was a designated district centre for businesses including bars and restaurants.

A report adds: “The Highfield Road district centre is significant in size, amplified by a busy junction adjacent to the site and includes other night-time uses including a pub, takeaways and a restaurant.

“As such, it is reasonable to expect residents to be accustomed to a greater level of noise and activity in this location.”

The Marvin’s chain, which markets itself as a champion of Motown and soul music, opened its first venue in Breck Road, Poulton, in 2018, and its second in Henry Street, Lytham, in April 2019.

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