Plans to build two new rides on pier to be examined

An appeal against Blackpool Council's decision to reject plans to build new rides on the seaside resort's South Pier will be heard at a public inquiry later.

Blackpool Pier Company (BPC) lodged an application in November for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Use or Development (CLOPUD) for the siting of two rides - a log flume and a star flyer - on either side of the South Pier Headland area.

It argued the new attractions would help boost tourism.

The hearing at Blackpool Town Hall comes after the proposals were also rejected in September by planners who argued BPC's application constituted "development" and would therefore need to go through the full planning permission process.

The bid for the CLOPUD was refused on those grounds on 17 December.

Now an appeal hearing, concerning both failed applications, will be heard by the Planning Inspectorate.

BPC argues the council has been "disingenuous" in refusing a CLOPUD while allowing its own "similar" proposals for the annual Christmas by the Sea attraction - a popular festival village on the Promenade, close to North Pier.

Blackpool Council, which argues the rides would be inappropriate for the site, contends the applications are not the same.

The inspector will hear legal arguments from both sides before reaching a decision.

The log flume comes in multiple formats, but essentially has a footprint of 42m (138ft) by 18m (59ft) and a height of 12m (39ft), with a total track length of some 220m (722ft) interwoven within a mini lake setting.

The star flyer is a 77m (253ft) high ride, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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