PLANS to turn a former pub and church into a petrol station, shop and drive-through could be approved next week.

In February, Blackburn-based Euro Garages applied for permission from Burnley Council to develop the site of the former St Teresa’s RC Church and the General Havelock Inn on Barracks Road, Burnley.

Both have been closed down and unoccupied for several years.

The planning application is due to go before Burnley Council’s development control committee next week, with members recommended to grant permission.

If approved, Euro Garages bosses say the development would bring up to 35 new jobs to the area.

In a statement, Euro Garages said: “The petrol filling station and ancillary retail element would create 20 jobs and the drive-through café would create 15 jobs, which would be a mix of full and part-time employing local people.”

The company bought the pub in October 2017 after it had been on the market for three-and-a-half years with no interest from buyers.

The church was not on the market for long before it was bought by EG.

The development is designed to incorporate 27 parking spaces, and access to the facility will be off Barracks Road opposite a gym.

A report to go before the committee states: “The vacant church and presbytery are no longer required by the Salford Diocese and following marketing, no other community uses have come forward.

“It is accepted therefore that the church buildings are no longer required to provide for the social and community needs of the local area.

“Similarly, the General Havelock public house has been marketed since May 2014 without any success in finding a new owner to maintain its use as a public house.

“Notably, there is another public house (Angel Inn) on the opposite side of the mini roundabout on Burnham Gate which provides a similar social function in the local area," said the report.

“The site is at a convenient location close to Junction 10 of the M65 which would not, in principle, be unsuitable for a petrol station.

“The proposal would be beneficial in bringing a redundant and prominent site into active use and would introduce suitable uses at this strategic location."

“The impacts of the proposal on highway conditions and safety have been highlighted through the application process and it has been shown that these can be satisfactorily dealt with by detailed design.

“Other impacts arising from the development have been identified and can be satisfactorily mitigated by use of conditions.”