A BUTCHERS’ which closed this year after more than a century could become a new restaurant – but residents are not happy about it.

Fairclough’s Master Butcher in Blackburn Road stopped serving customers on March 23 when the business closed after three generations in the family.

Paul Fairclough sold the premises in Egerton which his grandfather moved to at the start of the 21st century having operated from a store in Bromley Cross since 1880.

He said: “I’d been trying to sell it for eight years but there was no one to sell it to – it was a dying trade. Due to lack of support and getting older, I’d had enough.”

The new owner has now notified the council of his intentions to convert the property to a restaurant.

Local councillors held a meeting with residents on Tuesday to discuss the plans after concerns were raised about the changes.

Council leader David Greenhalgh said he and fellow ward councillor Nadim Muslim would oppose the proposals due to issues with parking, noise and smells.

But he told residents that the council may not be able to stop the move because the change of use is considered “permitted development”.

He said: “If we are able to oppose it, within the law, then we will oppose it because it’s not in a suitable location.”

The Bromley Cross councillor compared the situation to that of Shimla in Darwen Road which was forced to shut earlier this year. The Indian restaurant initially opened without needing planning permission – although councillors refused to give the premises an alcohol licence.

A change in planning law from May 2013 means a shop is allowed to change into a restaurant for two years without having to tell the local authority about the plans.

The council refused Shimla permission when plans were eventually submitted and the company lost an appeal which led to the restaurant closing.

Cllr Greenhalgh said: “I personally believe it’s the wrong location, just as we thought Shimla’s was the wrong location, for exactly the same principles as we thought before.”

Town hall planners can only refuse to approve the change on grounds relating to highways, opening hours, noise or the extraction system.