A LANDMARK former pub in Padiham looks set to be transformed into a nursery after lying empty for more than four years.

Kerry Driver has been given planning permission to convert The Victoria, in Burnley Road, by the borough’s development control committee.

Early ambitions for The Victoria could have seen the premises turned into a restaurant in 2011.

The nursery would operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm Mondays to Fridays.

Six full-time staff and two part-timers would be employed at the nursery, set to cater for 30 children and six babies when it opens.

Parish councillors in Padiham had expressed concerns about road access arrangements, with the main entrance opening out onto Burnley Road.

Similar reservations had been expressed by Lancashire County Council’s highways section so bollards will be installed along the frontage to prevent parking and drop-offs.