Plans to turn a former church which is more than a century old into bedsits have been given the go-ahead.
The application will see the Methodist church in Temple Street, Nelson, converted from a place of worship into a house of multiple occupation with 11 bedrooms.
Nelson developer Mohammad Aslam said in his application the former church, which was constructed in 1904, is located in a residential location with ample off-street parking for at least 11 vehicles.
It also has space for cycle storage and is close to both a bus route and Nelson train station, and the plans also include a new storage unit which will be used as a bin store.
Pendle Council has given permission for the conversion to take place, with a host of conditions.
Documents in the plans submitted by Mr Aslam said: “The proposal will have a positive impact on the vitality and viability of this local area providing a specialised service.
“The proposed use will not only contribute to the vitality of the area it will not cause harm through intensification of traffic or cause nuisance for local residents.”
The HMO will comprise 11 bedrooms with sinks occupied by single, unrelated tenants, with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.
One bedroom will be created in the old plant room, and the second prayer hall is to be divided into four bedrooms ranging from 16 square metres to 8.64 sqm, only slightly larger than the legal minimum size of 6.5 sqm.
On the first floor, the classroom spaces would be split to create five bedrooms of varying size – from 8.2 sqm to 15 sqm, and the existing store room would become the property’s largest bedroom at 20 sqm.
In granting approval, Pendle Council planning officers imposed a number of conditions, including physically and permanently closing up pedestrian access from Temple Street, and detailed parking plans must be provided before occupation of the site can begin.