THE new owner of an historic Burnley pub is hoping to turn the building into a new apartment block.

Local businessman, Bilal Zaman, has bought Dickie Pinks in Dale Street but instead of running the boozer, he hopes to convert it into new apartments.

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Mr Zaman, who runs Spend ‘n’ Save off-licence on Dale Street said: “I knew the last owner as we used to chat to each other in the shop.

“It had been on the market for a while and I thought that it would be a good investment to turn it into flats.

“I think it will be good for the area and with the shop being just down the road, I’m always close by.

“We’re just waiting for the sale to go through. It should be done by the end of this week and then I can look at getting some plans drawn up and see what the flats would be like.”

Mr Zaman, a 28-year-old father-of-one, has been running the off-licence for seven years since he took over from his father who opened the shop 16 years ago.

The popular local used to be the Whittlefield Conservative Club and first opened its doors in 1920.

It was renamed Dickie Pinks when it reopened as a public house, taking its name from a newspaper seller, Richard, who used to stand outside selling the daily pink sports results.

Councillor Ida Carmichael, who represents Whittlefield and Ighten Hill ward, said: “It’s a real shame to see the pub go. It was a popular club and had many loyal customers.

“I used to go there quite a lot and have great memories of the place.

“The smoking ban and the cheap price of alcohol has affected many of Burnley’s pubs and a lot of them are closing.

“ It’s cheaper for people to drink at home now.

“I do think that the idea to turn it into flats is a good one though.

“ I can see nothing wrong with it at this stage.

“As long as they are affordable and they have the right sort of tenants, then I think it will be good for the area.”