Luxury wedding venue approved despite noise and parking concerns

Planning officers previously recommended that the plans be given the green light in a previous planning meeting last month. However councillors voted to defer the application to get more details on parking, the frequency of weddings taking place and to get feedback on noise conditions.

The application received four objections from local residents who complained about potential noise. Although no statutory consultees raised objections apart from the local parish council.

Objector Sarah Beech, who is also a parish councillor told the committee: “I ask you to refuse this application, refuse it on the complete lack of parking included; the total disregard for the footpath and neighbourhood agricultural access; refuse of the insufficient drainage plans for the size of the establishment and refuse it on the totally unacceptable noise levels proposed at all hours of the night and morning. The plans provided are a complete mismatch either non-existent, outdated or clearly provided in order to look viable on the surface.”

The applicant anticipates two to three wedding events per week, with a maximum capacity of 120 guests. There will also be parking on the site for up to 79 vehicles with overflow parking provided, if needed and could be delivered using permitted development rights.

Planning agent, Claire Preston informed the planning committee what work had been done since the last meeting.

She claimed the applicant has “removed the brickwork entry piers and changed to a timber to improve visibility, removed the orangery entrance from the northern elevation to reduce any noise impacts following comments from the EHO; clarified the external music limit and agreed with the EHO at 75 DBA which is acceptable for all parties; actively engaged with a mechanical ventilation consultant who has provided draft guidance on the ventilation strategy in order to minimise noise transfer and provided more detailed parking and manoeuvring layouts to demonstrate parking capacity achievable on the site”

However, councillors were still unconvinced by updates and wanted to impose stricter conditions including restricting Blackbrook Hall to a wedding venue only, which means that it could not host parties and to improve the parking situation.

Councillor David Salter told the planning committee: “Raised objections to the scheme and called for stricter conditions to be applied. He said: “I’m still very concerned about the parking, relieved to hear about perhaps a condition of markers of some sort so there isn’t just random parking, which I think if you’re given the opportunity to park where you like, you give yourself plenty of space to open your car doors and in doing so you’re going to lose about a third of parking spaces.

“I raised the point earlier about it sort of conforming to the application itself that it is a wedding venue. Can we make that a condition?”

However, a council officer said that conditions for planning applications need to meet six tests, necessary; relevant to planning; relevant to the development to be permitted; enforceable; precise; and reasonable. Limiting the venue, the planning officer said: “It raises the question of whether it’s necessary or reasonable, I mean the difficulty is there are no objections from statutory authorities.”

Councillor Hugh Ashton recommended that the committee defer the decision until more ‘concrete conditions’ are established. He said: “I must confess, I’m even more confused than when I came into the room. The conditions seem to be very vague, they’re in flux, we’re not sure whether they’re legal restrictions or planning restrictions in some cases and we have no definitive answers on noise or parking which I think seem to be major obstacles presented by the objector.”

Ultimately after agreeing on a range of conditions including delineation of parking spaces, the planning committee unanimously approved the application.