A LOLLIPOP lady has slammed a decision to grant planning permission to redevelop a mill close to a primary school.

Paula Morris, 42, expects the volume of traffic to increase in Emerald Street, Blackburn, and is fearful a child will be seriously hurt or killed.

But the firm behind the plan has insisted that £12,000 of traffic calming measures and a weight limit on lorries will protect pedestrians.

Blackburn with Darwen Council approved the plans to rebuild the street's Vale Mill into seven industrial units with five for warehouses and two for light industry.

Paula, a lollipop lady of four years at Roe Lee Park Primary School, remem-bers problems along the road when the now disused mill was Accrol Paper, a toilet paper manufacturer.

She said: "There are around 370 pupils and I help children, parents and even grandparents cross the road. Students from Pleckgate High use the crossing too.

"When Accrol Paper was operating, there was barely room for cars and lorries to drive along the road. If that were to happen again it would make my job difficult. Traffic wanting to turn into Emerald Street used to tail back from Brownhill Drive. On some days there are cars parked, then a school bus and a public bus. I am concerned for everyone's safety including my own.

"I think one solution to create a small layby on one side of the road."

Roe Lee head Glenys Lees: said: "The road is busy enough and I can only see it getting worse."

Planning officer Peter Prendergast told council-lors that measures like chicanes were needed to enforce the ban on large lorries.

Coun Jim Smith said: "I have visions of forklift trucks coming out to unload wagons on the street."

But after the meeting Heath Dewar, co-owner of Vale Mill, said: "A condition of planning permission was that we gave £12,000 for traffic calming.

"Lorries for the site will be no heavier than 7.5 tonnes and are smaller than the buses which use Emerald Street. There will also be a car park on site. We would not have applied for planning if it meant putting the lives of children and adults at risk.

"I think, if anything, traffic conditions should improve in the area."