Decision made on plans for two rides at Blackpool’s South Pier

New proposals for two rides to operate either side of Blackpool’s famous South Pier have been thrown out by planners.

The full planning application by the Blackpool Pier Company was for a Star Flyer ride on the south side of South Pier and Log Flume on the north side of the pier, to be in place for a period between April 1 and October 31 each year.

Applicants Blackpool Pier Company argued that the rides would raise vital revenue for repair work on all three piers, whose heritage importance. outweighed normal planning policy.

But the argument did not succeed.

It wasn’t the first time the applicants had sought permission to operate the Log Flume at the site.

Blackpool Council’s planning committee had previously refused to grant permission for the ride to remain on the Prom alongside South Pier, back in September 2018, after having given it temporary approval to be sited there on an earlier occasion.

When the Pier Company appealed to the Planning Inspectorate about the council’s 2018 refusal, it lost the appeal.

Now planners have refused the Pier Company’s latest planning application.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort had also objected to the plans, pointing to several key areas in the planning officer’s critical report.

A planning statement on behalf of The Pier Company stated: “The Log Flume comes in multiple formats, but essentially has a footprint of 42m by 18m and a height of 12 metres, with a total track length of some 220 m interwoven within the ‘mini lake’ setting.

“The Starflyer to be sited on the south side of the Pier, is a 77m high ride.

“Monies made from rides on Central or South Pier are used for works to North Pier as well.

“All three piers need ongoing maintenance work, as you would expect from structures constructed in the 19th Century, however, in reality storm damage and ‘time marching on’ means that more and more replacement works to the decking and the steel structure are required on an annual basis.”

The statement added: “The three piers owned by the Blackpool Pier company make up almost half of the seven surviving piers in the region, with 9 having closed or disappeared.

“In the regional context, and in the national context as a tourist destination, the retention of the Blackpool Piers is of great significance.”

The company argued that retention of the three Piers for future generations, carried overwhelming weight when considered against planning policy argument against development on the west side of the tramline.

However, the planning officer decreed that the application could not be accepted because it was contrary to a number of planning policies.

In refusing the application, the report said: “The application proposes piecemeal development on the Promenade and development west of the tram track which is not one of the forms of development specified with Policy DM10 as being acceptable there.

“The application seeks a permanent planning permission for the siting of two non-permanent fairground rides on a prominent site on the Promenade which would not represent the high quality development required.

“With regard to the proposed log flume, due to the form of development proposed, including its functional appearance, the proposal would not fit well in the setting of South Pier, or with the quality of the upgraded Promenade that presents an attractive public area along the seafront.”