ENVIRONMENTALIST Carol Stinton persuaded councillors to preserve an old corner shop after threatening to quit her job with a conservation group in protest if they agreed plans to change it.

She told them she would quit as secretary of conservation group Project Padiham if they changed the face of the old corner shop at 1, Moor Lane (pictured).

She went to the development control committee at Burnley town hall to argue against an application to change the frontage from a shop to a house.

"The town is slowly but surely losing its character," she said.

"We should be conserving, not converting - there are far too many empty houses and flats in Padiham already and this should remain a shop."

Councillors were impressed and defied the advice of their officers and rejected the application.

They had been left with a dilemma of deciding what was or was not original.

They heard from Mrs Stinton that the premises had always been a shop and she had a turn-of-the last century photograph to prove it.

Not so, said council officers who claimed records dating back to 1840 showed it had been built as a dwelling house.

Mrs Stinton said the change would affect the visual impact of a landmark building in the conservation area but officers argued it would not.

Councillors sided 11-1 in Mrs Stinton's favour, prompting her to declare: "I welcome the decision. It is a sensible decision and the best for the future of Padiham."

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