PLANS to turn an Accrington bingo hall into a mini-market and auction house look set to be refused.

Faithful Healing Ministries wants to covert the former Empire Bingo Club, in Blackburn Road, to raise funds for its work helping abused children, men and women suffering around the world.

But planning officers have urged councillors to throw out the plans, claiming the charity didn’t do enough to show there are no more suitable sites closer to the town centre.

The charity’s trustee and administrator, Rev Clive Fisher, said in documents lodged with the council: “We have two children and one counsellor to bring over from South Africa for a limited period, but we do not have their visa fees until we start the auction and mini market.

“It costs me £120 out of my pension credit each week to support these and other children. This leaves me only £50 per week to keep my wife and I.

“It is imperative for us to open this building, otherwise we would have to close and the many people we have helped over the last five years. Their help will stop because we cannot do the work without funding.”

Hyndburn Council’s planning committee will discuss the case when it meets on Wednesday. However, in a report to the committee, chief planning and transportation officer Simon Prideaux recommended they refuse planning permission.

He said: “Insufficient information has been submitted to allow the local planning authority to assess the acceptability of the proposed development against the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework.

“The applicant has failed to demonstrate that there are not sequentially preferable sites in town centre or edge of centre locations that could meet the requirements of this business.”