IT LOOKS like an eyesore. A blot on the landscape, even.

But a redundant old hospital water tower in the Ribble Valley is up for sale as a potential dream home with stunning views.

All you need is about £150,000 to buy it, and a flair for tackling a home improvement challenge that would even make Carol Smillie cringe.

The old round tower and the squat, flat-topped valve house next to it, are in two thirds of an acre of land off Vicarage Lane, Wilpshire.

The buildings were at the centre of a planning dispute, but conversion into a house can go ahead after the Environment Department overruled a council refusal.

The owners are land brokers Goldfinch, of Weaverham, Cheshire, who take on "difficult" sites that others would not touch. Their plans for the tower include a roof terrace on top, two floors inside with a huge lounge, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

They also suggest changing the valve house into a large kitchen and breakfast room, dining room with basement and utility room with garden stores.

Trevor Sayle, director of Goldfinch, said: "That design was produced to gain consent, but being such a unique site then no doubt the purchasers will wish to substitute it with their own.

"The buildings were erected in the early part of this century to provide a water supply to a local hospital which has long since closed.

"They are located at the end of a long drive and have stunning uninterrupted views.

"Without planning permission, though, this site was a liability."

The company is selling the water tower through Clitheroe estate agents Entwistle Green.

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