Plans for flats at Jumpin’ Jaks on King Street face questions over nightclub noise
Plans to turn the former Jumpin’ Jaks nightclub on King Street into flats have raised questions over one of the key reports submitted with the planning application.
The building has stood empty since Jumpin’ Jaks closed and was badly damaged in a fire last November. Earlier this year, plans were submitted to convert it into 18 flats, with three commercial units at street level.
Since then, concerns have been raised about several parts of the application, including drainage, disabled access, parking, refuse storage and ventilation. But one issue keeps coming up.
Noise.
I’ve been through all the planning documents, and here’s what’s actually going on.
Because the proposed flats would sit right next door to Cube nightclub, the developer submitted a Noise Impact Assessment to show that future residents wouldn’t be disturbed by music, bass or people leaving nearby venues during the early hours.
But here’s the interesting bit.
When the noise surveys were carried out, Cube wasn’t open.
Everything in the report is based on a time before the nightclub next door was even operating.
That matters because one of the biggest questions surrounding the plans is whether people could realistically live next door to a nightclub in the middle of Wigan.
One of the objections says the report doesn’t paint an accurate picture of what it would actually be like to live there. It argues the survey missed the busiest and loudest periods, including people leaving nearby bars and clubs during the early hours, and questions why Cube wasn’t properly assessed despite being right next door.
The objection also says the report doesn’t properly assess low-frequency bass from nightclub music, questions the way some of the monitoring locations have been shown and argues there’s no evidence the computer model has been checked against actual noise readings.
It doesn’t stop there. The objection also raises concerns about drainage, disabled access, the lack of parking, refuse storage, ventilation for the commercial units, the size of the plant room and several other aspects of the design.
So, then I got to Wigan Council’s consultation responses.
Environmental Health had raised many of the same concerns.
Officers pointed out that the original noise surveys were carried out before Cube nightclub opened and questioned whether the assessment reflected current conditions. They also asked for more information about low-frequency bass from nightclub music and whether the proposed glazing and ventilation would be enough to keep noise inside the flats within acceptable limits.
What’s interesting is that the developer’s own acoustic consultants don’t disagree.
In their response, they acknowledge Cube wasn’t operating when the surveys were carried out and say further monitoring would be needed while the nightclub is open if its impact is going to be properly assessed. They’ve since updated parts of the report and accept that the findings could even affect the type of glazing needed for the flats.
The plans themselves have also changed since they were first submitted.
Updated drawings include redesigned apartments to meet accessibility standards, extra cycle storage, solar panels, bat boxes, additional space behind the commercial units and revised external materials. The developer has also agreed in principle to provide five affordable flats if planning permission is granted.
A separate Crime Impact Statement submitted with the application argues that bringing the building back into use would improve safety. It says the empty building is more vulnerable to vandalism, trespassing and antisocial behaviour than an occupied one, and that having people living and working there would help reduce those risks.
No decision has been made on the application. Wigan Council will now consider the objections, consultation responses, revised plans and updated technical reports before deciding whether planning permission should be granted.
