A FORMER care home which has become dilapidated could be turned into 'studio apartments'.

A planning application on behalf of Majid Hussain, from Blackburn, for the Lower Ridge Home for the Elderly site in Burnley.

The Belvedere Road site was the last remaining Lancashire County Council care home owned in Burnley when it shut in 2018.

Now, the applicant wants to create 50 single-bed studio apartments after a proposed application for a 71-room house of multiple occupancy was withdrawn after comments from planning officers and local residents.

A report to planners said: “This is only an additional 15 people over the 35 originally designed for the building.

“Living and kitchen areas are now located within the studio apartment along with an ensuite.

“There are no shared amenities such as a bathroom, toilet, or cooking facilities but there are shared laundry areas, libraries, meeting areas and reading or study area.

“Since 2018 it has been left in disrepair with multiple break-ins, with squatters using it and leaving a devastating mess internally.

“Electrics and lift have all been destroyed and parts stolen.

"At the rear, a conservatory has been stolen with very little being left behind.

“The style of building is fairly typical of the 1960s, it has good daylight qualities with large windows and an interesting balcony detail at the front of the property.

"It has no particular architectural merit or detail.”

The applicant added that the residents will be ‘considered on a case-by-case basis, however management would not accept applications from people with a history of arson or violence’.

The application adds that the people behind the plans have a strict policy of abstinence and any resident would need to ensure them they are willing to engage in their support structure and committed to personal abstinence from drugs and alcohol.