A post office could soon become a wine bar if the council approve recently submitted plans.

Last week, the proprietor of the Rising Bridge Post Office on Blackburn Road, Barbara Poole, lodged an application with Rossendale Borough Council seeking permission to turn the post office into a wine bar.

Mrs Poole, who has run the post office for the last 25 years and resides in the flat above, is looking to change the use of the ground floor of the premises and believes up to four new jobs could be created once the wine bar opens.

A planning statement submitted to the council reads: "The proposed use will cater for the local community who do not have any similar establishment within the immediate locality; further, the proposal maintains economic activity in the immediate vicinity which can have a favourable knock on impact for other retail/commercial activities locally.

"The premises have been used for retails purposes by the applicant for at least 25 years and this has included a post off facility within the premises."

If approved, the wine bar would replace the post office, which is currently in the process of being transferred to Eureka Animal Feeds and Tack Shop across the road, meaning the community of Rising Bridge won’t be without the service.

A letter from the Post Office network states: "The transfer of the Post Office is not only seeing the service remain in the community, but will have better access in the new location, as well as seeing two locations in Rising Bridge being transformed, with extensive works currently being undertaken at Eureka.”

Drawings have been submitted by architect Younus Khan, which detail changes to the interior of the building, with the first floor remaining as a residential flat.