Homes plan for Blackpool garden centre site

Breck Homes has applied to Fylde Council for planning permission to build 65 new homes on a site off Cropper Road currently occupied by The Garden Place.

The site is also home to the Dahlia’s Kitchen eaterie, a handful of small stores including pet supplies, storage and stables.

But the scheme would also include a small retail centre with space for a convenience store and two other units, one of which is described a suitable for cafe use.

A design statement accompanying the applicaton says: “The site constitutes part of an identified housing allocation within a strategic location for development, within which Local Plan policy also seeks a local retail centre.

“It is within an area of transition, already featuring new build residential development and with more in the pipeline which will surround the site.

“The garden centre use on this previously developed land will therefore become increasingly incongruous, whereas the proposed development will make efficient use of the site to make a significant contribution to affordable housing supply, featuring smaller, affordable units.

“It will also satisfy the council’s aspiration for local shops to increase the sustainability of the location. Provision for pedestrian and cycle connectivity will maximise the benefits of these.”

It is proposed to build 12 one or two bedroom apartments, 21 two bedroom houses and 32 three bedroom houses which would be “100 per cent affordable, with a flexible mix of affordable rent, rent to buy and shared

ownership”.

Cropper Road has already seen a number of extensive housing developments built but there are no shops in walking distance, with the developer saying “the growth in housing development within the vicinity reinforces the need for more local provision.”

The applicant adds the scheme would provide homes for workers from both Blackpool and Fylde and help meet Fylde’s annual need for 249 affordable homes.

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