CONTROVERSIAL plans to convert the former Barnoldswick town hall into a pub and restaurant will be decided by a planning inspector over the next few weeks.

Inspector Anthony Davison headed a one-day informal planning inquiry into the long-running scheme at Nelson Town Hall and heard evidence from pub bosses, councillors and campaigners fighting the proposal.

He is expected to make his decision early in the new year.

Preston-based pubs company Inns & Leisure appealed against Pendle Council's decision to refuse planning permission for the town hall in Jepp Hill, in the middle of the town's conservation area, to be turned into a pub and restaurant.

The pub company initially applied for planning permission in October 1998 and made several amended applications in the following months.

Local residents, backed by councillors, launched a campaign against the plans. They claimed the pub would make life unbearable for neighbours and the building was unsuitable for a pub. Residents felt the town already had more than enough pubs.

Campaigners told the inspector that if the plans were passed the pub should have full air conditioning so that its doors and windows could remain shut all the time, reducing noise levels outside the building.

But a pub spokesman said the condition would be onerous and he knew of no other pub which had full air conditioning.

Council planning officer Janet Holland said the authority argued the pub plan was inappropriate and would detract from the area if it went ahead, as well as causing noise and traffic problems.

A proposed conservatory at the back of the building would overlook adjacent houses and make life uncomfortable for residents, she added.

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