MORE than 20 nearby residents turned up to a planning committee meeting to oppose proposals to convert a suburban house into a home to assess the parenting skills of troubled single mothers only to see the item deferred.

Gryffin House Limited want to take over the property on Moorcroft in Lower Darwen.

The firm submitted a planning application to use in the house up to five families at a time for 12 weeks to perform ‘Residential Parenting Assessments’.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s planning committee was set to debate the issue when it met on Thursday night last week.

Officers had recommended it for rejection.

But applicant Raeece Sulaman-Butt submitted new evidence in a bid to overturn the recommendation immediately before the meeting.

Chairman Dave Smith told the residents at the meeting that because of this consideration of the application would have to be put off until the next meeting in January.

He promised Blackburn South and Lower Darwen ward’s Cllr John Slater, who was in the public gallery to oppose the application: "The officers recommendation will not change."

Local residents have objected to the scheme on the grounds of transport impacts, noise nuisance, anti-social behaviour, change in the character arising from a commercial use and insufficient outdoor space.

Cllr Slater said after the meeting: "Unfortunately the item has had to be deferred.

"I and my residents who turned up to the meeting are obviously disappointed.

"But we have been given a guarantee by the chairman that the officers' recommendation will not change."

The council’s children’s service’s consultee, who had objected to approval as the local authority area cannot support the likely impacts on public services, has said he stands by his original concerns.

He said: "In direct response to the applicant’s representation, it is considered that the proposal fails to offer an acceptable level of residential amenity for local residents, for reasons set out in the main report."

The planning officer’s report recommending refusal says: “The development, by virtue of a significant increase in on-street activity and within the building, would erode the quiet residential street character.

"Family is generally defined as one mother and a new born child other than in exceptional circumstances when there may be a requirement for two parents and one child.

“When operating at full capacity, the property would home eight people (four adults and four children), though exceptionally those numbers could increase to 10 (six adults and four children).

“There is an existing Family Assessment Unit within Blackburn with Darwen’s boundary to which the council routinely refer to."