ARTS groups in Burnley have warned the council they are being "short sighted" in considering plans to sell the town hall car park to developers.

If plans for the £6million JobCentre Plus are approved, the town centre car park on the proposed site behind the town hall will be closed for up to 12 months during construction.

But with dwindling audience figures and the cost of subsidising the Mechanics Theatre already causing concern, the groups which use the Burnley Council-run venue have warned the plans will mean a bleak future, with visitors forced to park across town.

Councillors have agreed the sale in principle and the proposals are set to go out to consultation before a final decision is made.

At a meeting of the council last night the chairman of the Burnley Light Opera Society Colin Sanderson, spoke on behalf of other groups, including Burnley Music Festival, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Burnley and Pendle Music Society, the Burnley Garrick Club and the Civic Trust. Mr Sanderson, whose society puts on an show every November, said: "It's very short sighted to consider losing any of the Mechanics car park space.

"The car park with its CCTV security on the doorstep of the theatre cannot be bettered for patrons. The inconvenience and financial loss that will result if the council sells part of the car park will be permanent and a great loss to town centre facilities. I ask the council to think again."

A council report on the development says: "There will be a complete loss of parking during construction, likely to take a minimum of nine months. This could affect viability of the Mechanics and it could take time to re-establish any loss in business."

JobCentre Plus want to buy the site, on the existing town hall car park, to develop their new high-tech base and say it is the only site in the town they will consider. If the council agrees the sale of the car park to JobCentre Plus, the state-of-the-art centre would safeguard 300 existing JobCentre jobs and create 50 new ones.

Business leaders fear a devastating effect on the local economy if the development is blocked.

Leader of the council Stuart Caddy said: "We have simply made an in principle decision at this stage. Nothing is set in stone. We fully support the Mechanics but we have to look out for the borough as a whole."