A CLAYTON-LE-MOORS industrial unit could be converted into an art gallery and pizza restaurant.

Ian Williams wants to set up W11 Art Gallery and Restaurant in Allied House, in Burnley Road.

The building was formerly home to Williams Catering Equipment, which sold and repaired commercial catering goods.

The proposals would see around 100 square metres of the site turned into a 50-cover restaurant.

Mr Williams, of Brantwood, Clayton-le-Moors, said he had taken the gallery on in semi-retirement because he believed Hyndburn was ‘massively lacking’ more arts venues.

The 60-year-old said: “Painting has been a passion of mine for 30 years. I have around 500 paintings but I’ve only ever sold 18 of them.

“I still run the catering firm but I sold off a lot of stock and we’re only using a small part of the unit.

“People keep asking me, ‘Will you do me a painting?’ so I though I’d go for it.”

Hyndburn Council planning officer Jeff Davis said the site was considered an ‘edge of centre’ location in relation to Clayton-le-Moors town centre and had asked Mr Williams to investigate alternative locations.

Mr Williams said rental costs and inadequate floor space at town centre sites made Allied House the best option for the development, which he hopes will create eight jobs.

The gallery and restaurant will also host painting and cookery workshops for youngsters, if its approved.

Mr Williams said: “The gallery we are ready to get up and running so we are just waiting on approval for the food side of things.

“It will purely be pizzas that are served and we hope to be open by mid-November.

All I want to do these days is paint so we’ll have three full-time and five part-time staff to run the place.

“I don’t think there is enough art in Lancashire so I’m pushing this forward not just for me, but for the whole community.”