A moorland village restaurant and bar is to be extended and enhanced with a new porch and outside seating area.

Haziz Berisha has been granted planning permission for the additions to the San Marino Bar Restaurant in Belmont Road, Belmont.

Three conditions has been included in the approval by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

A report by senior planner Christian Barton read: "The application site is a restaurant and café building that is positioned to the south east of the village of Belmont within the Green Belt.

"The wider site comprises of car parks, garden areas and outdoor seating areas.

"Fields surround all four sides with Belmont Road (A675) defining the southwest boundary.

"The restaurant side of the building mostly has natural stone elevations with a slate roof and doors and windows of varying styles.

"This application involves the erection of a single-storey front extension providing a new porch area together with additional internal seating areas on either side.

"The proposed extension would have a footprint of circa 40 square metres and a dual-pitched roof up to 3.4m in height.

"Natural stone and slates would be used to finish the extension and it would be fitted with grey painted timber bi-fold doors and windows.

"External seating areas would be formed within the front terrace area, which would be enclosed by timber-clad raised planting boxes.

"The proposed extension would appear relatively small scale when related to the size of the original building.

"It is acknowledged the original building has been extended numerous times in recent years, yet the addition of a modest front extension would not lead to an inappropriate form of development within the Green Belt.

"The extension is proposed for a building that has been significantly altered previously.

"Owing to its limited footprint and height, the proposed extension would form a small-scale structure when viewed against the façade of the existing building.

"Bi-fold doors would be introduced yet the inclusion of those modern features would not appear out of place when the modified nature of the existing building is taken into account.

"The erection of associated raised planters would not alter that position, nor would the siting of external seating.

"Appropriate external construction materials are proposed that would match those of the existing building."