A DERELICT heritage-listed building in Blackburn town centre is to be converted for offices to a family home.

Bassam Juma has been given planning permission to make the change to Richmond House, 15 Richmond Terrace.

He had withdrawn a previous application to turn the building into five flats and add a two-storey rear extension.

The decision by Blackburn with Darwen Council follows it approving the conversion of nearby 12 and 13 Richmond Terrace into houses.

The Richmond House proposal will create a new home with three or four bedrooms.

A report by planning officer Nick Blackledge says: "The application site relates to a mid-terraced, Grade II listed property, last occupied as offices, located to the north of Richmond Terrace, within the Richmond Terrace Conservation Area of Blackburn town centre.

"Planning permission is sought for change of use from offices to a single dwelling house.

"The principle of the development is guided by policy 26 which supports establishing a vibrant town centre residential population.

"Re-use of vacant buildings also weighs on favour of the proposal. The principle of the development is, therefore, accepted."

Supporting statements submitted with Mr Juma's application said: "The site is currently unoccupied for the last seven years.

"Historically been used as office building over three floors with toilets and kitchen in basement.

"The area comprises a high density of residential and commercial properties.

"This section of Richmond Terrace typically contains two-storey terraced properties used as offices.

"The scheme is to convert existing offices to bring back the original use of the building as a residential property.

"There are 17 unoccupied buildings out of 21 in the north side of Richmond Terrace.

"Due to working from home becoming the norm the likelihood of these buildings to become occupied as offices is very slim or non-existent.

"The negative impact of unoccupied properties have on the locality includes crimes and misuse.

"Police found a farm of cannabis in one of the empty buildings in Richmond Terrace back in April 2020.

"The building construction is of a neo-classical Georgian-style red brick terraced row of houses.

"This development was the first purpose-built high quality residential scheme to be erected within the town of Blackburn.

"The proposed development makes best use of a previously unoccupied, derelict building in bad condition of negligence and disrepair."

The council approved Junaid Shafi's application to convert 12 Richmond Terrace into six-bedroomed house and 13 into one with five bedrooms in November.