Residents of a prominent tourist street in Blackpool have blasted plans to turn a B&B into a self-contained holiday rental – fearing it could become an ‘unmanaged party house’.
In an application submitted to Blackpool Council on June 15, Number 42 Guesthouse requested that its premises be allowed to turn into a self-contained holiday rental, meaning guests would have full reign of the seven-bed property without the presence of management.
In the description of the proposed development of the property, it is proposed that number 42 change its use “from bed and breakfast (class C1) to a single self-contained apartment unit (sui genies)”. The plans submitted by owner Graham Middleton have, however, been criticized by residents elsewhere on the street, fearing the stand-alone house will encourage tourists to use it as an ‘unmanaged party house’.
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Ms Esther Mellor of 17 King Edward Avenue wrote: ‘All the other businesses on the road are bed and breakfasts so having an unstaffed party house right in the middle of the row of terraces could very well cause noise issues and misbehavior. Issues like these would have a detrimental effect on surrounding businesses as well as an increased workload for the police who would have to deal with any issues.”
King Edward Avenue is home to a number of hotels including the Windsor Hotel, Hartshead Hotel, Penrhyn Hotel and King Edward Hotel. The street is a prime location for incoming tourists with the promenade just minutes from the majority of accommodation.
Ms Heather Haskell of 23 King Edward Avenue added: “I am concerned that allowing this change would lead to an increased risk of problematic behavior in the area. It would retain large groups who would not be supervised on the premises. In theory , it’s fine for large families, but stag and hen parties would negatively impact our business as well as others and disrupt a very quiet neighborhood.
“Our guests like to stay here (and our reason for moving here) because of the peace and quiet that allows for a restful stay away from the behaviors associated with these groups. I don’t think this type of accommodation is appropriate for this region.
Councilor Michele Scott also opposed the plans, explaining that she shared the “same concerns” expressed by others. She continued: “The plan shows 7 bedrooms but does not appear to include owner/management accommodation. It appears that some structural changes have been made to the property without the necessary permissions having been granted.
“The arrangement is described as ‘Sui genies’ and I can only assume it should say ‘Sui generis’ or ‘unique’. This property is in the Holiday Zone and is Class 2 B&B accommodation.
“In order to ensure proper oversight and management of the property at all times, I strongly object to the proposed very loose categorization of the property. As has been stated by others, this property is located amongst many other residential and small-scale holiday accommodation.It is a quiet area with limited facilities for large groups of the type that this property is likely to attract.
“The lack of a permanent management presence on site is of particular concern, which presents risks to health and safety, including fire safety, and the management of customer behavior. The change of use sought will be detrimental to the area and could set an unacceptable precedent I oppose this candidacy.
StayBlackpool manager Ian White took the opportunity to allege the property had been ‘trading like an unmanaged party house’ in previous months ‘without proper planning permission’.
He explained: “Having read the request and comments from close neighbours, I agree that over the past two months this property has been marketed as an unmanaged party home without proper planning permission, the impact on the nearby community has been significantly negative.”
Ian says that in a previous request, on-site management was deemed “essential” and went on to stress that a smaller property “should also have on-site management”. He added: “I am also aware of other apps that are similar in appearance which presents an unacceptable risk of use in a party house.”
“Illegal changes made adding a hot tub and replacing windows with doors (without any building control records) had a significant and detrimental impact on the two neighbours. Significant vibration is impacting the number 40 and when the doors are open, noise, including noise from people significantly and negatively impacts the number 44.
“Having been involved in a recent intervention to ensure over 3 weeks worth of waste was removed is another clear example of the negative impact of a lack of a management plan. It also emerged that the bins provided were of a residential standard, not suitable for commercial use.
“It should be noted that a deposit of £750 is charged to those who deliver. Clearly this has not been a deterrent as there are significant comments regarding the stench of cannabis. Certainly from the evidence provided in other comments, the unlawful changes made have had a significant and detrimental impact on so many businesses doing the right thing in Blackpool.”
Ian ultimately concluded that he felt there was ‘no way’ the property could ‘be allowed to continue to operate as it has been’. He added: “So with the continued noise and significant disruption, this request must be denied.”
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