Now functioning as a tertiary storage area and in a generally poor condition, the former Bailey’s Bar and Nightclub in an alleyway behind Dutton Street was being eyed for a major renovation into five small one-bedroom flats.
Situated at the back end of the row of shops and cafes on Church Street, the application from Gulham Mohiuddin would have created new window openings and doorways to access the development from the alleyway on Back Dutton Street.
However, Hyndburn planners took a dim view of the proposed flats conversion, citing a number of issues that would have resulted in ‘unacceptable living conditions for future occupants.’
The appearance of this alleyway, which would essentially be the occupants’ front porch, was seen as ‘hostile’.
“The presence of barbed wire, a blind corner, commercial bins, graffiti, litter and window grills, as well as the limited natural surveillance, make it a hostile environment,” they wrote in their report.
Concerns were also raised about odour and access, as the bin-filled back street’s only other entry point would be a narrow ginnel off Church Street, which is unadopted and often obstructed by neighbouring businesses.
The means of access were branded ‘wholly unacceptable’, with the officer noting: “The route to the proposed apartments is not attractive nor does it feel safe.”
With views from their front window of a brick wall lying barely two metres away, there were also serious concerns about the ‘oppressive’ outlook and lack of natural light for the three ground floor flats.
When the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the alley, a used mattress marked one end of the alley, while business waste marked the other. In between the two, the slight rise and fall of a bundled duvet revealed that there was already a person living on the quiet town centre side street.
Aside from the unsafe vicinity, planners also took issue with the envisioned layout of the two apartments on the former nightclub’s first floor.
One only had windows on one side of the flat, facing the opposite side to the problematic alley.
However, that meant they instead faced out onto the backs of the Church Street shops, less than five metres away.
This once again raised concerns about light, the ‘overbearing’ atmosphere, and the general living conditions inside the properties, leading the officer to refuse the application.
