Historic Blackburn pub approved for flats conversion

The 140-year-old building that used to house the White Bull Hotel in Blackburn town centre is set to become a development of 24 single-bed flats.

Located around the corner from Blackburn Cathedral, the site known as Thwaites House has been subject to a number of planning proposals in recent years.

This includes a successful one in 2024 to turn it into nine flats for young professionals, which had to be revised down from an initial aim to fill the former business-use space with 14 units.

But a follow-up application for prior approval in the tail end of last year saw Urban Future Planning Consultancy put in fresh plans to double that number – with 18 single-occupancy flats on the first, second, and third floors of the building.

This is in addition to the six one-bed flats that were approved in May 2025 for the former snooker hall adjoining Thwaites House, facing the cathedral, taking the total number of one-bed flats in the wider development to 24.

In their green lit bid to double the previously approved number of flats, Urban Future’s Nazia Shah argued that, as permission had already been granted for nine units, the ‘principle of development has already been established’ for the site which sits within the Cathedral Conservation Area.

Shah also argued that the conversion of the Class E disused office space into housing met national planning guidance, as well as Blackburn with Darwen Council’s ‘ambitious housing delivery agenda.’

She added that the conversion would ‘generate notable income for the local authority in additional Council Tax’.

Each of these 18 single-occupancy flats contain a bedroom, a bathroom or shower room, and an open plan kitchen-living room.

Over half of these measure close to the minimum floor space required for a dwelling, 37 sqm, with 10 units measuring 40sqm and under. There is no dedicated outside space, as it faces out onto the town centre.

Once development begins, a council noise assessment has stipulated that additional measures be taken to shield the building’s occupants from the noise of the road outside, as well as the business units on the ground floor which include a betting shop and a Post Office.

Due to the historic building being in a conservation area, the applicants were not given permission to install double glazing or make any alterations to the outside of the first, second, and third floors.

A noise impact survey, which was required to get the development of both Thwaites House and the former snooker hall off the ground, suggested that an additional pane of glass could be installed on the inside of each window unit. It also stated that noise-shielding mechanical ventilation be used so that occupants won’t have to open their windows onto the busy street below.