A LANDOWNER from Blackburn has issued a plea to planning chiefs to allow him to develop a plot of his own land, which he admits is an eyesore.

Chris Leksinski, of East Lancs Road, wants permission for a small number of homes to be built on the derelict former garage site, near Harcourt Street and Croydon Street.

Householders in the area reacted angrily in summer 1999 when the garages which were then on the site were set on fire and people regularly used the area as a dumping ground.

The worst incident was in October, 1999, when two thirds of the site was damaged in a major fire

Since then, Mr Leksinski has had the garages demolished - but has been left in limbo because Blackburn with Darwen Council refuses to give him permission to change the use of the site on official planning guidelines from garages to housing.

A planning application was turned down in 1998 and when the issue was taken to an appeal, a government inspector took the side of the council.

Mr Leksinski said: "The site is a real mess, but there is nothing I can do with it. I know the residents in the area are fed up looking at it.

"I have obviously been in touch with the council and they have told me to draw up some more plans, but every time an application is submitted it costs more than £500, so I am wary of going through that again for no end result.

"Whatever happens, something must be done soon because the site is just a mess."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.