BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw has objected to plans to open a resource centre in a disused pub.

The Justice Minister has written to Blackburn with Darwen council bosses expressing concern that the plans for the former Corporation Park Hotel, Revidge Road, would cause a parking and traffic nightmare for people living nearby.

A bid to convert the same building into an Islamic education centre was rejected in August amid concerns over a lack of car parking facilities.

The new application is for a "resource centre", but opponents say the essence is the same.

In a letter sent via his constituency secretary Damian Talbot, Mr Straw said he had been contacted by four Revidge Road residents at a recent surgery who had outlined concerns about the development.

The new application states that the building would be used for evening classes.

Mr Straw's letter, to the council's regeneration director Adam Scott, says: "This immediately raises the question - how is this different from the previous intended use?"

Residents' fears had not changed since the original application, he added.

The applicant, listed on the planning register as Mr Talati, could not be contacted for comment.

The council's planning committee will decide on the application in the coming weeks.