PROPOSALS for a 5,000-place Islamic girls boarding school in Brierfield look set to be scrapped.

Talks have been held between Islamic Help, the Birm-ingham-based charity behind the scheme for Brierfield Mills, and prospective Pendle parlia-mentary candidate Afzal Anwar, amid widespread dis-quiet over the plans.

Nearby residents have star-ted a petition against the school blueprints, which has attracted 300 signatures.

Mr Anwar invited Masood Alam, the charity’s chairman, for a debate about the scheme, which was announced just days after it was confirmed the Al-Ehya Trust had purchased the former Burnley College buildings for a similar venture.

Under the anticipated revis-ions, the Ghausia High School for girls, based in Nelson, will still look to move there.

But instead of a school, the charity will look to create a sports centre, for the whole community, alongside a ‘com-mercial village’ housing start-up businesses.

After being told of the outcry prompted by the proposals, Mr Anwar said that significant changes would be made to the charity’s proposals.

He said: “We told Mr Alam that there is overwhelming local opposition to the plan for a vast boarding school of this nature in the small town of Brierfield.

“We explained that this opposition comes from all communities, including a maj-ority of Muslim people. I do not think it was either a sensible idea or a practical one.”

A fundraising drive has been launched, totalling £1million, to buy the sprawling site, which once housed the former Smith and Nephew company.

Mr Anwar added: “We also stressed that they will need to get wide local support in order to obtain planning permission for any new uses and changes to the site.”

The charity was unavailable for comment last night.