Upside-down house attraction at Land to the North of South Pier, Promenade, Blackpool

What was proposed

The application proposed an upside-down house attraction and ticket office for three years after demolition of the existing structure.

“Erection of an upside-down house attraction and installation of ancillary ticket office following the demolition of the Theatre D’Amore structure. The proposed upside- down house would be a 7.7m high, 13m long and 11m wide structure with blue timber plank clad elevations with profiled metal sheet roof covering, stood on a concrete base which would be covered in synthetic grass. The structure would appear to be upside-down and balanced on its roof at an angle.”

“Given the size of the structure, the fact that it would be constructed on site (the official website states that it takes around 3-4 weeks to build on site), with its resulting weight supported on a concrete plinth, it is considered that the Upside Down House would constitute operational development as well as a material change of use of the land.”

Officer report

The site and surroundings

The site is a hard-surfaced area west of the tram tracks, north of South Pier, beside the Promenade and the sea.

“The application site is a hard-surfaced space to the west of the tram tracks on the Promenade, to the north of South Pier between the Station Road and Dean Street junctions. To the east, there is a tram stop approximately 14m away and there are hotel and commercial uses on the east side of the Promenade carriageway. There are no buildings to the north and the beach/sea defences and Irish sea to the west.”

“The site is within the Resort Core as defined by the Local Plan Policies Map, the defined Promenade and Seafront, a defined Green Infrastructure area and a Mineral Safeguarding Area as defined by the Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan. The site is within Flood Zone 3. Nos. Dean Street, 485 and 487 Promenade and the old Tommy Ducks/Beach Taven building to the east are non-designated heritage assets (locally listed) as is South Pier to the south.”

Officer report

Main planning issues

The proposal conflicted with policies protecting the open seafront, heritage setting and green infrastructure, but its temporary nature carried significant weight.

“The strategies laid out in the policies of the Core Strategy are amplified in the Local Plan Part 2. The most relevant to the principle of development is Policy DM10 which relates to the Promenade and Seafront. The supporting text at 3.114 and 3.115 states that “the Promenade west of the tram tracks has a spacious and open feel with largely unrestricted views of the sea and the piers.”

“The proposal is to position an upside down house on the Theatre D’Amore site for a temporary 3 year period. The Case Officer has had sight of draft Heads of Terms which covers a period of 3 years.”

Officer report

Who spoke

A planning officer presented the proposal, and no supporters, opponents or elected members registered to speak.

The committee’s decision

The committee granted temporary planning permission for three years, subject to the conditions in the committee report.

“Resolved: To grant a temporary planning permission for a period of 3 years subject to the conditions outlined in the Committee Report.”

Minutes