A dry cleaner's shop in a town centre conservation area could become a new job-creating restaurant.

The premises in Preston New Road, Blackburn, are the subject of a planning application for the change of use by North West Auto.

The shop is in the town's Northgate Conservation Area.

The plans have been submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council by Urban Future Planning Consultancy Ltd, but there are no clues as to what kind of restaurant the new venture would be, if approved.

In the plans, it said: "The application site is located within the town centre and the applicant seeks to bring to fruition a high-quality restaurant offer which would complement the area’s existing leisure and retail offer and which would generate additional footfall to the locality whilst creating jobs and promoting consumer choice.

"The application site comprises 5 Preston New Road, Blackburn which is currently occupied by a dry cleaner.

"The site is located within the town centre and within the designated Northgate Conservation Area.

"The site is located within a readily accessible location with plentiful on-street parking in the vicinity.

"The area is highly commercial in nature, typical of a town centre setting.

"Northgate is home to a variety of commercial uses including food and drink establishments, the library and a theatre / venue hall.

"Northgate Conservation Area is the largest of five within Blackburn’s town centre.

"It contains a collection of nineteenth and twentieth century municipal, retail and commercial buildings which are predominantly arranged around the north south axes of Northgate and King William Street and their immediate environs.

"Consent is sought for the change of use of the application property from a dry cleaner to a restaurant.

"The proposed commercial floor space would be set over ground, first and second floors with the seating for on-site consumption allocated to the first and second floors whilst the ground floor would feature the kitchen facilities and the customer entrance / waiting area.

"The site is located within a wholly commercial locality.

"The few residential properties nearby are well-accustomed to residing in the town centre with its associated retail and leisure offer and any activity generated by the proposed use would be indistinguishable from the already high levels of activity seen in the area.

"The proposed opening hours would be in line with similar establishments within the area.

"The proposed works involve minor alterations to the existing shopfront and the insertion of a rear extraction flue.

"The rear extraction flue will be out of sight and therefore have a negligible impact on the setting of the Conservation Area."