‘Monstrosity’ has forced us out of our living rooms
But warehouse bid gets green light despite residents’ appeal
RESIDENTS living opposite a ‘ monstrosity’ of a warehouse development on a flagship business park have been forced to abandon their living rooms, councillors were told.
Debbie Thornhill spoke of her and her neighbours’ plight at Hyndburn council’s planning committee as it considered a backdated planning application by the property arm of Blackburn’s billionaire Issa brothers’ business empire for the commercial units on Frontier Park.
It was approved on the Labour chairman Cllr Dave Parkins’ casting vote after five Tory councillors voted against and five Labour for granting permission.
The application was necessary after neighbours noticed the warehouses being built by Monte Blackburn Ltd were not in accordance with a permission granted in February 2020.
The approved four units on the 3.5-acre site had been replaced by three already part-built larger ones which Mrs Thornhill described as ‘overbearing, inescapably dominant and unpleasantly overwhelming’.
She told the March 23 committee: “The effect is such that many of the residents of Richmond Crescent are now unable to use their living rooms at the front of their homes because of the visual impact these warehouses are having on their quality of life.
“Many have resorted to living in the rear part of their properties, rendering the living room of their homes non-functional.
“Our houses have been devalued between £10,000 and £15,000 because of these developments.”
Conservative Marlene Haworth described the warehouses, on Blackburn Road in Oswaldtwistle, as ‘a monstrosity’, and asked why the original approval had been given by an officer using delegated powers rather than councillors at a planning committee meeting two days before.
She added: “By an officer who also works in the private sector offering the same services and advertises on social media.
“This stinks, and needs investigating. An application of this size and devastating effect on people’s lives should have gone to committee.”
Labour’s Cllr Melissa Fisher said: “I am appalled that a member of this council should have accused its officers of not doing their job properly. “It is disgraceful.” Planning manager Simon Prideaux said there was no requirement for major applications to go to committee, adding there had been no objections to the original application and no councillor had asked for it to come before the committee.
Matthew Wyatt - the planning agent for Monte Blackburn, which is owned by EG Group founders Mohsin and Zuber Issa - said the warehouses would by only slightly higher and wider than those originally approved and a new landscaping scheme was ‘a significant betterment’.
Mrs Thornhill said after the meeting: “I am gutted. Very disappointed.”
Alex Kenwright, development manager for Frontier Park, said: “We are delighted with the decision, from a jobs and economic point of view.”
Marlene Haworth, who is one of two Conservative candidates for St Oswald’s at next month’s local elections along with Zak Khan, said: “It was absolutely the wrong decision.”
Labour have announced that their candidates in the ward are Glen Harrison, who lost his St Oswald’s seat last year, and Dr Wajid Hussain.
The ward is up for a double election after Labour’s Chris Knight announced he would be resigning from the council after the elections.