Plans to turn former Widnes Blockbuster into supported accommodation rejected
Halton Borough Council has refused plans to convert the former Blockbuster premises on Salisbury Street into accommodation for vulnerable mothers and children.
By Runcorn & Widnes World
Plans to convert the former Blockbuster store in Widnes into supported accommodation for vulnerable mothers and children have been rejected.
The proposal related to premises on Salisbury Street and would have created eight bedrooms alongside three commercial units on the ground floor.
Accommodation proposed for the upper floor included eight en-suite bedrooms, a staff sleeping and monitoring room, communal space and shared kitchen and living areas.
Access to the residential accommodation would have been through a single secure entrance from Salisbury Street, with a reception area controlling access to the upper floor.
However, Halton Borough Council refused the application after raising concerns over the suitability of the accommodation and the potential impact of the development.
The council's children's services department said the provider had not consulted with it over the area's sufficiency needs.
It also said the proposal had not demonstrated how the accommodation would fit with the borough's wider plans for children and young people or support local objectives and outcomes.
Planning officers concluded that the development would provide an unacceptable standard of residential amenity for future occupants.
Concerns included whether the accommodation would provide a safe, accessible and inclusive living environment and the lack of adequate amenity space for the type of specialist housing being proposed.
Parking was another factor in the refusal.
The council considered that the change of use would intensify activity at the site and create additional demand for parking.
Officers were not satisfied that sufficient off-street parking had been demonstrated and warned that additional vehicles could be displaced onto surrounding roads, potentially affecting highway safety.
The Salisbury Street premises were formerly occupied by Blockbuster and have subsequently accommodated a number of other businesses following the video rental chain's collapse in 2013.
An earlier proposal to create a 12-room house in multiple occupation at the site was also refused, with parking among the concerns raised.
The latest decision means the proposed eight-bedroom scheme for vulnerable mothers and children will not be able to proceed in its current form.