PLANS have been unveiled to turn an historic mills complex into a boarding school for up to 5,000 Muslim girls.

Islamic Help, a national charity, intends to spend 10 years developing Brierfield Mills into the UK’s biggest boarding school.

If the proposals are given the go-ahead it will begin by moving Ghausia Girls’ High School in Nelson into the land-mark building.

And it will be added to gradually over the next decade until it is large enough to enable the education of 5,000 Muslim girls to GCSE level.

Mohammed Masood Alam Khan, chairman of the charity, said there was a demand for the school in the area, where he said the standard of education for Muslim women was ‘poor.’ It will also include sports facilities, which would steer local youngsters away from drugs, he said.

But campaigners who believe the facility will have a ‘divisive’ effect on the town, because it is single faith and single sex, have already begun protests against its creation Coun Tonia barton, chairman on Brierfield and Reedley Committee, said she also has concerns over how it would effect community cohesion.

Mr Khan confirmed the charity was in the final stages of buying the seven-acre site, the former home of the Smith and Nephew Company, which is located alongside the Leeds Liverpool Canal.

It now has until January 10 to raise £1million to secure its purchase, which is understood to be several million pounds below its market value.

At first only local girls who live at home with their families will be taught at the facility, being called Pendle Boarding School for Girls.

But as it grows, Mr Khan said girls from all over the UK and possibly Europe could be housed at the facility.

Mr Khan said: “We will build it up slowly. It will start with the Ghausia Girls High School being put in there as it is only in two houses at the moment “Then hopefully we will move a primary school and when it is established we will turn it into the boarding school.”

The school will include lecture halls, a gymnasium, kitchen and canteen, accommodation, prayer room, 24-hour library, IT and science laboratories.

Mr Khan said one of the aims was to create a facility which would educate and empower Muslim women.

He said: “There are problems with young people using drugs in Brierfield, Nelson and Burnley because there is nothing for them to do.

"There will be a sports hall and games area at the school so it will have a positive impact on the area.”

The site had been earmarked by the Al-Ehya Trust, another charity, as a possible location for a 1,500-pupil boarding school for Muslim girls.

However, it has now turned its attentions to the former Burnley College building in Ormerod Road.

A residents’ action group has contacted householders in Brierfield to tell them about the plans for the school.

Coun Barton said it was ‘too early to panic’ but that she did have concerns over the plans.

She said: “We will look at it as we do every planning application, but anything they do will be costly because it’s a listed building.

“I am concerned about what they will do to the building and it’s still a lot of people over a 10-year period - it will have a big impact on services.”

The trust is seeking donations of up to £20,000 towards a computer lab, £5,000 towards a classroom, £500 for student accommodation, £300 for a masalla in prayer area and £100 for a wudu area.

In total it is hoping to raise £1,050,000 through donations.

The Grade II Listed Building is currently used by BSN Medical Distribution Ltd.

Neil Watson, Pendle Council’s planning and building control manager, said the charity had not been in touch with Pendle Council about its proposals.

“At the moment, we are trying to get in touch with them to ascertain their intentions,” he said.