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A garden playroom that neighbours claim is being used as a party venue for adults can stay put, councillors have decided.
Preston City Council’s planning committee heard that the outbuilding had been installed – without permission – at a house on Glenview Close in Ribbleton more than a year ago.
Town hall planning officers nevertheless recommended that committee members give the nod to what they said was an acceptable addition to the front garden of the dwelling.
However, allegations that it was more a place for passing piña coladas than kids parcels prompted almost an hour of debate about whether the owner of the structure should be forced to take it down.
Ribbleton ward councillor Pat Varty – who lives a few doors away from the property – said parties at the address were being advertised on social media.
“It’s used for entertainment purposes…there is a built-in bar, a built-in fridge – and it’s like a drinking session all the time.
“[There is] a karaoke machine in the garden. Of course we want people to go in their garden and socialise – what we’re asking for is a bit of respect and [to] remember that we’re in a residential area,” said Cllr Varty, who spoke at the meeting in a personal capacity as a local resident.
Fellow Ribbleton representative Cllr Jonathan Saksena – addressing the committee in his official role – said the play space was actually “a garden nightclub”.
“If permission is granted with no conditions, the applicant will have been given carte blanche to carry on with this night-time revelry,” he said.
The householder did not appear before the committee – but several of its members expressed disquiet at the claims made about what was happening within the 15 square foot building.
Cllr Harry Landless asked whether the application – which attracted one objection from a neighbouring property – could be turned down “because what they’ve applied for isn’t actually what it is”. Meanwhile, his colleague Cllr John Rutter suggested imposing an alcohol-serving ban on the venue.
However, planning officer Laura Holden said how the occupant operates the facility “is up to them” – and that the application should be judged as if the building “isn’t [yet] there”.
On that basis, she said, it had to be assessed as an add-on whose use – whatever that may be – was “incidental” to that of the house and that any problems caused by it should be dealt with by the relevant authorities.
“If your neighbour had a party and it was too loud for you, it wouldn’t be necessarily a matter you’d ring the planning department about – it would be for the police…or environmental health to monitor it and act upon [any issues],” Ms. Holden explained.
She added that the planning matters to be considered for new outbuildings related to their size and location – not any noise that may emanate from them – which was why the council’s own environmental health department had not been asked for its opinion.
Committee member Liz Atkins said if that department had “properly dealt with” the matter – and the complaints previously brought to its attention about the building – “then we wouldn’t be here”.
A suggestion by two members – Cllrs Carol Henshaw and Lynne Brooks – that the application should be turned down because the outbuilding was “overbearing” for neighbours – was voted down and permission for the facility granted by a narrow margin.
In a statement issued to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, a Preston City Council spokesperson said: “Our environmental health team received a request for service relating to this address earlier this year from neighbouring residents living in the area.
“A warning letter was sent to the property owners during May and the details for our night noise service was communicated to the neighbouring residents. We received one call to this service in June – however, the officer on call was unable to witness a statutory noise nuisance.
“Due to the frequency of the parties and loud music we have been unable to establish a statutory noise nuisance and as there were no further calls to the service about this location for over a month following the initial call, the noise complaint was closed at the end of July.
“The residents still have access to the night noise service and can contact the duty officer again to visit if there are any further concerns.”
