Blackburn with Darwen Council has been accused to failing to implement its own planning conditions on the new prayer room at Pleasington Cemetery.

Conservative Councillor Mark Russell made the allegation as he quizzed borough growth boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood at the authority's executive board on Thursday night.

The Livesey with Pleasington representative told him: "The planning committee is regularly told major planning applications can be approved without all details being known or included, because those outstanding details will be secured by condition.

"However, this council does not even abide by its own planning conditions.

"In building the new prayer room at Pleasington Cemetery, the council has breached its own planning conditions in at least four ways.

"The prayer room has not been built in accordance with the approved plans.

Lancashire Telegraph: Councillor Mark RussellCouncillor Mark Russell

"The council failed to submit and approve a detailed landscaping scheme before development commenced.

"The council failed to submit and approve a motorcycle parking and cycle storage scheme before above ground works began.

"And the council failed to submit and approve a traffic management plan before commencing works.

"The failure to comply with the traffic management plan condition is of particular concern given public concerns about traffic and parking issues.

"Is it acceptable for a local planning authority to ignore its own planning conditions? How can the council expect private developers to abide by planning conditions when this council wilfully ignores its own?"

In response, Cllr Mahmood said: "As the applicant, the council has not ignored the conditions imposed on the permission and has been working to get all agreed.

"The conditions referred to have been and are being addressed to ensure the new facility is delivered and operated as approved.

"More specifically a non-material amendment to the plans was approved in March 2024; the landscaping scheme must be implemented between October 2023 and April 2024 and the planting proposal has been agreed with the principal contractor to commence in October.

"Regarding motorcycle parking and cycle storage it is clear the imposition of a standard condition for a bespoke property has not proved appropriate and a cycle store could present issues relating to anti-social behaviour.

"Consequently an application to remove this condition will be made imminently.

"Regarding the traffic management plan, several parking spaces have been put in place adjacent to the building in accordance with the approved scheme.

"A significant number of parking spaces have been created within the wider cemetery. The traffic barrier has also been installed as an additional traffic calming measure."

Lancashire Telegraph: Drawings of how the prayer facility would lookDrawings of how the prayer facility would look

Cllr Russell then attempted to raise the failure to enforce a surface water drainage condition on the Pleasington Lakes housing development, which had caused repeated flooding in Brokenstone Road, and the problems caused over the failure to enforce a planning condition protecting open space off Kingsley Close, which required the council to spend thousands of pounds on a public inquiry to remedy.

Cllr Mahmood refused to answer as the supplementary question did not relate to the prayer room but promised to respond later by email.

Cllr Russell said: "You have just dodged the question."

Afterwards Cllr Russel added: "I was just using the prayer room as an example.

"I was trying to ask a wider question about the monitoring and enforcement of planning conditions."