Plans have been approved to transform a former popular Italian restaurant into a house.

The old Andiamo Restaurant in Lower Leigh Road, Westhoughton, has been on the market since July 2019, and is thought to have stopped trading then.

Plans were submitted in mid-March to turn the restaurant into a single dwelling, with these plans approved by the council, with conditions, on June 24.

Documents supplementing the plans explained that the restaurant had been completely emptied of furniture some time ago, with the planners unsure as to when the restaurant was last used, making it suitable to be turned into accommodation.

Changes that were planned to be made include switching the car-park in the back to a garden, moving it to the front of the property, making it more suitable for residents.

However, this had to be changed after discussions with the planning officer and a local football team that use the field.

Daisy Hill FC use the field to the rear of the old Italian, with the applicants therefore removing the proposed change from the scheme.

The officers report said: "It is understood that should an agreement be reached between the applicants and the club around the existing access arrangement, an application for change of use to the car park might be then resubmitted."

This means no external changes will be made to the property.

The only objections that were made to the property were in regards to the effects that changing the car park could have on access for the football club and bin collections for neighbours; however, these were all alleviated when that part of the plan was taken out.

The application is also not judged to affect what is considered green belt land, as it is only affecting the ground floor of the building, with a flat already on the first floor.

It is also judged to not to affect the character of the area, as only internal changes are now being made to the site.

Building work can now begin on the site of the old Italian eatery.