COUNCILLORS have approved proposals to turn a former pub into a large family home despite concerns it could eventually become a house of multiple occupation.

After the failure of a community campaign to buy the Stanley Arms in Pemberton Street, Blackburn, the borough planning committee gave new owner Shaukat Ali, of Sycamore Road, Blackburn, permission to change it into a five-bedroomed house.

Roe Lee councillors Phil Riley, Sylvia Liddle and David Pearson, expressed concern in a letter to the committee that Marston’s Brewery sold the pub just days before it was due to meet with the campaigners about their plans to purchase and reopen it.

They said: “We would like to place on record our suspicions that the building will not become a family home as indicated on the application but is highly likely to become a house of multiple occupancy and this will be strongly resisted by local residents who are already suffering from a significant increase in anti-social behaviour from some of the rented properties that are appearing in the area.”

Mr Ali’s agent Khalid Khan said: “The intention is to turn it into a family home exactly as it says in the planning application.

“Any suggestion if might become a house in multiple occupation is fanciful and baseless rumour.”

Officers told the members of Blackburn with Darwen council planning committee: “The objection to the intended use of the house as a house in multiple occupation (HMO) is simply a suspicion. The council must consider the proposal presented.”

They said residents could oppose any move to change the use of the home and conditions were in place to stop it becoming such without a separate new planning application.

Coun Riley said: “I and my fellow campaigners are disappointed that this has all gone through and that they did not have the chance to make a bid to re-open the pub or designate it as an ‘asset of community value’ under the new Localism Act.’

A spokesman for Marston’s said no offer was received from the group.