An impassioned plea from a nearby resident has failed to stop councillors approving the conversion of a former training centre in a Blackburn suburb into a dessert shop.

Blackburn with Darwen Council planning and highways committee granted planning permission to Mrs Annisa Asif for the change of use for Unit 3 in the Brookhouse Business Centre in Whalley Range.

This was despite a personal appearance at its meeting on Thursday night by Asif Iqbal who had gathered a 17 signature petition opposing approval and recruited Blackburn MP Kate Hollern to join the opposition.

He said the scheme if approved would cause parking, traffic and highway safety problems, create litter and attract vermin and be another outlet for unhealthy sugary foods.

He told the meeting: "There is no support for this proposal whatsoever.

"Everybody knows knows that a nightmare it is to drive down Whalley Range even at the best of times.

"This will have no positive effect on our neighbourhood just negative.

"There are already 15 dessert bars in this area.

"What is the need for another one?"

The committee heard from planning manager Gavin Prescott that previous approvals of similar businesses nearby would make it difficult to refuse the proposal and that he could see no material planning grounds to do so.

He said the move would simply increase choice between dessert bars in the area rather than generate a decline in public health.

Blackburn Central ward's Cllr Zamir Khan warned that if the committee rejected the application it was in danger of losing an appeal by the applicant which 'could cost us a lot of money'.

The council's growth boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood said the dessert bar seemed and appropriate addition to 'a thriving business area' adding that there was ample parking behind the premises and elsewhere in the area.

But Livesey and Pleasington Conservative Cllr Derek Hardman backed Mr Iqbal's concerns over parking and extra traffic saying: "I think highway safety has to be our number one priority."

The committee voted to approve the application with the three Tory councillors voting against.

The petition warned of the 'exponential rise of dessert and tea shops and businesses in the Whalley Range area' which it said was 'very alarming and amounts to gentrification of our community and neighbourhood'.