Plans have been granted for a car park at one of Blackburn's biggest wedding and events venues.

The partly-retrospective plans are for a parking area on a former builders' yard at the junction of Harrison Street and Sumner Street, to serve the Grand Venue.

A section of the 4,500 sq metre site is already used for guests parking at the lavish venue which opened in 2018. A further section of the area is being developed to accommodate vehicles.

The venue hosts weddings and functions drawing in people from across Lancashire and marshals are normally on hand to assist with parking and traffic. The venue hosts both small and larger events throughout the year.

Previously the venue has had to fund a residents' parking permit scheme to tackle the issue of anti-social on-street parking.

The new site will be within boundary walls and will require extensive renovations by the venue itself.

The plans say: “The proposal entails no additional spaces for expansion as the proposals are contained within the existing site boundary of the previously operating ‘Builders Yard’. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has leased this demise to the proprietors of ‘The Grand Venue’ to expand their car parking provisions to alleviate and minimise congestion of ‘on-street’ parking.”

Plans also state ‘the development will have minimal effect to the street scene. The proposal includes a main dedicated entrance which is currently operational with disabled parking provisions near the entrance and the previous vehicular opening to the yard blocked up.

It adds that 'the layout of the proposed land is adjacent to the current car park which will be levelled and extended to create a large dedicated car park with marshals patrolling and managing the car park. The new car park will be finished in either concrete or tarmacadam finish discretionary to the management of the enterprise’.

Councillors were recommended to approve the plans at the meeting last week, with a number of conditions, including assessments needing to be carried out, restrictions on hours of work and operation, and requirements for flood management and soft landscaping on-site.