Amor Asset Management respond to concerns over plans to build wedding venue Rockwood Glass Marquee on Burnley and Pendle border

Mr Mujahaid Bin Jamshaid of Amor Asset Management has applied to Pendle Borough Council to build the ‘Rockwood Glass Marquee’ on land adjacent to Rockwood Manor, Halifax Road, Nelson. It would include catering facilities, 159 car park spaces, and the creation of a new vehicular access point directly off Halifax Road.

Since the application was made, a slew of objections from nearby residents were made with concerns over increased traffic, parking, noise issues and loss of green space.

Mr Jamshaid, who was born and brought up in Nelson, has now spoken to the Burnley Express in a bid to allay concerns from residents.

The businessman, who has worked around the world on weddings, said: “I fully empathise and am exceedingly open and receptive to addressing the concerns of residents. I am committed to collaborating with the authorities to ensure all issues are resolved. I will personally prohibit the use of fireworks, oppose any highway spillage or roadside parking, and will work closely with the highways department to address these concerns.”

Mr Jamshaid said he had planted 3,000 trees and installed see-through perimeter fencing.

He also said that he had looked at hundreds of sites, including brownfield, across the borough but none were suitable for the development.

“The site was selected following a thorough search, with the council reviewing over a thousand brownfield sites listed in the council's register,” he added.

“The officers at Pendle confirmed no suitable sites were available. Additionally, we conducted an exhaustive public search with commercial property agents, concluding that no other sites were available to accommodate a venue of this quality and design.”

A chief concern residents have raised is the fear that car parking for the estimated number of guests would not be sufficient and could lead to overspill parking on Halifax Road and other surrounding roads.

Mr Jamshaid said the estimated capacity of 500 guests could be reduced and that the venue would mainly function on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

He added: “We will consider the number of guests our venue will accommodate and are more than willing to modify the scale of the building to ensure sufficient on-site car parking if need be.

“The venue is 100% open to all communities not just Asians. We want to register the venue for civil weddings and would welcome all people.

“The paramount aspect is my firm support for operating the venue on Friday evening, Saturday, or Sunday. I do not anticipate any weekday events, in line with industry wedding statistics, thus the notion of the venue operating seven days a week from 11am to 11pm is a misconception that we intend to clarify with the council.

“Lastly, I plan to hold a public consultation in the forthcoming weeks and am eager to engage with residents and take guidance from their insights. Should any member of the public wish to discuss their concerns with the developer, they may contact us at: [email protected].”