A £200,000 tea and snack shop in the heart of a Blackburn shopping district looks set to be able to turn its outside decking area into an extended part of its enclosed cafe.

The new Mi Chaii outlet in Whalley Range opened in September able to accommodate 38 diners inside and a further 21 outside on a specially built terrace.

But now owner Sonia Ahmed and her family-run Divine Patisseries Ltd wants to cover over the decking to extend the main cafe.

The Mi Chaii brand offers a range of signature street food snacks and drinks across a UK footprint.

Miss Ahmed has applied to Blackburn with Darwen Council for planning permission for the change.

It will be debated by the borough's planning committee on Thursday night following an objection from a resident forwarded to the authority by Blackburn MP Kate Hollern.

This claims the move would be detrimental to the area and the character; that it is part of an over-concentration of food outlets; would have a damaging effect on road safety and on the health of young people; and constitutes overdevelopment.

But a report to Thursday meeting by planning office Tom Wiggans recommending approval with six conditions says: "This application seeks permission for a single-storey side extension to the Mi Chaii café/restaurant where there is an approved outdoor decking / seating area in situ.

"The application site is located on Whalley Range and was formerly part of the Brookhouse Business Centre.

"This application seeks to extend the building to replace the outdoor seating area with a single-storey side extension so that all of the café/restaurant space would be indoors.

"The intention is to provide customers with a better overall experience at all times of the day and seasons of the year and enable the opening hours to be equalised throughout the premises.

"The proposal to bring the decking area inside would enclose the existing decking area to minimise noise.

"Hours of operation would match those attached to the rest of the café/restaurant (09:00hrs to 23:00hrs Monday to Friday, and 10:00hrs to 23:00hrs Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays).

"The decking area presently has an hours of use restriction to 20:00hrs, but given this would become a fully-enclosed area as part of the main café/restaurant, the 23:00hrs restriction would then apply to the whole premises.

"It is accepted that the maximum number of people who could visit the café/restaurant during inclement weather and/or during the evening (after 20:00hrs) would slightly increase.

"The proposed enclosure would only be small scale and would result in an active, modern addition that would be in keeping with the existing building."