A FORMER care home is set to be bulldozed later this year – but the future of the site is yet to be determined.

The former Brackenthwaite Care Home on Senhouse Street in Whitehaven has stood empty for a number of years and a planning application to demolish the building was approved last year.

The site has been boarded up ahead of the building being demolished, which is expected to be in the early summer.

Cumberland Council will now oversee the demolition, after taking over responsibility for all council services in Copeland, Allerdale and Carlisle.

Brackenthwaite Care Home closed in 2019 when the now defunct Cumbria County Council opened The Gables - a multimillion pound facility which replaced four care homes.

Whitehaven town councillor Brian O’Kane, who has previously hit out at the county council’s decision to demolish the building, said: “The county council should have saved it and done something with it in a positive manner, whether it be turning it into flats or student accommodation.

“I think it’s a travesty, while recognising that the building may need severe modifications, every effort should have been made to rectify it and try and use it.

“We are going to end up with yet another derelict site in the town centre. There has been no dialogue with local councils asking why this is happening and what the situation may be in the future.”

But Joseph Ghayouba, who represents Bransty on Cumberland Council, said: “It's time it was demolished because it was starting to look run down and we don't want it drawing anti-social behaviour.

“My hope is that the land is used for some kind of community benefit. What I do not want to see is yet another carpark like what has been done elsewhere in town after demolition.”

A spokesperson for Cumberland Council said: “Cumberland Council have employed contractors to demolish the Brackenthwaite Care Home in Whitehaven.

“The contractors on site are completing internal strip-out works, and are awaiting some services disconnections. Once this work has been completed, a definite start date for the demolition of the property will be confirmed.

“We expect that the building will be demolished in the early summer.

“The future use of the site is yet to be determined.”