A REDUNDANT barn could be turned into two luxury moorland homes.

Lee Buckley wants to convert the dilapidated agricultural building at Longshaw Head Farm in Crowthorn Road, Edgworth, into a pair of modern five-bedroomed houses.

He has applied for planning permission from Blackburn with Darwen Council for the 'Conversion/re-use and alteration of barn to form two dwellings, with associated garden curtilage, parking, bin storage, hard and soft landscaping and retaining structures'.

One of the proposed homes would come complete with a balcony.

Local West Pennine ward councillor Jean Rigby said: "It is an interesting proposal and I shall be seeking local people's views."

A design and access statement submitted with the application says: "The site is located to the North-East of Edgworth village as part of a small complex of homes and buildings associated with Longshaw Head Farm.

"The site is currently by a former agricultural barn, which is currently largely unused aside from ad hoc storage.

"It is currently redundant and in need of a new function

"The building is surrounded by moorland and is one mile from the centre of Edgworth Village.

"The aspiration is to retain a solid, rustic, agricultural shed/industrial-style appearance, but using far better quality and more sympathetic materials, with random punched windows and introducing a large ‘feature’ glazed open aspect on the southern gable of the building.

"The existing former agricultural steel-framed, concrete block based barn is of low-quality visual appearance.

"The dilapidated outbuildings to north and south sides together with the large concrete block base visible on the west elevation all present an unprepossessing quasi-industrial shed like appearance, clad with corrugated metal of different colours

"The proposal seeks to significantly improved the visual appearance together with enhancement of the surrounding landscaping and ecology.

"The structural engineers have confirmed that the building is of substantial construction and capable of conversion to two dwellings.

"The proposal is to remove all the ad-hoc different coloured cladding whilst retaining the main portal steel structure.

"Feature bronze coloured surrounds are proposed to the windows and openings to the east and west to break up the elevations and add feature accents to the random 'industrial' like penetrations of the cladding skin so as not to 'domesticise' the visual appearance.

"The patio to the south elevation is constrained and concealed in a projecting framed canopy

"The driveway will be lined with a small area of lawn with some specimen native trees to create a domestic feel to the approach."