en.Wedoany.com Reported - Blackpool City Council has approved the construction of 32 new apartments on the top floors of a protected Art Deco building. The building was previously partially occupied by sports retailer Sports Direct, which relocated to the Houndshill shopping centre. Nottingham-based developer Gape Equity initially proposed building 65 apartments on the upper floors (approximately 75,000 square feet) in January 2024.

Following consultations with the council, the developer reduced the initial plan to just 24 apartments on two floors directly above the pub "The Albert and The Lion"; this revised application was approved in March 2025. Subsequently, Gape, advised by Grace Machin Planning and Property, resubmitted a proposal in the summer of 2024 to build 38 apartments on the upper floors, which was ultimately scaled down to 32 and approved.

According to the delegated officer report, the proposed external alterations are limited. A new window will be added to the north elevation, matching the proportions and position of adjacent windows, and will largely complete a row of windows. Officers considered that none of the windows would harm the character of the building, the conservation area, or the setting of adjacent listed buildings.

Of the 32 approved apartments, 22 have two or more bedrooms, accounting for 69% of the total. Although the local policy target is 70%, this slight shortfall was deemed acceptable given the significant challenges of retrofitting, as the width of the windows accounts for a large proportion of the building's facade and determines the internal wall positions.

The relevant planning application can be viewed on the Blackpool planning portal under reference number 25/0501.

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