FOUR new houses have been given the go-ahead as part of a major development proposed for Whitehaven town centre.

Land on Wellington Row, formerly occupied by a bus workshop, looks set to be used for the homes after outline planning permission for a residential development was awarded by Copeland Council.

The applicant, Britain's Energy Coast (BEC), is also behind plans to convert the nearby bus station into a 47-apartment block and the empty bus depot site opposite into a 144-room hotel. Plans for both are currently under consideration by Copeland Council.

A spokeswoman for BEC said: "The planning permission is an outline consent for housing use on the former Whitehaven bus station workshop site and represents a key step in the delivery of the best development options for the wider bus station proposals.”

Carlisle-based firm North Associates is developing the hotel and apartment scheme, on behalf of landowners BEC.

The hotel – including 144 rooms, a bar/restaurant and meeting space – is proposed to be slightly higher than its neighbouring buildings, Pears House and Blencathra House. Including a shop and gym on site, its bar/restaurant would open out on to the harbour.

Parking for hotel guests would be in a soon-to-be-converted 203-space site, between the harbourside and Tesco, for which BEC has already received planning permission. However, Copeland Council has revealed that this site could be extended into an 800-space multi-storey car park for users of the hotel, apartments and members of the public.

The five-storey apartment block would feature a “modern take on the Georgian architecture of the bus station and the town,” says North. With a mix of 47 one- and two-bedroom apartments, there will be 35 parking spaces on site with priority for those in two-bed units. A communal garden is also included. If planning permission is given, BEC has the option to develop the site, or work with or sell to a specialist developer.

Money towards the hotel/apartment/multi-storey scheme was included in a recent bid from Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership to the Government's Growth Deal. A decision is expected in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.

The bus station was opened in 1931 and was only the second covered station in the UK at that time. There was a public outcry in 2002 when Stagecoach decided to shut down and sell off the station, after which passengers had to use stops on Lowther Street, Duke Street and Preston Street.

The site has since fallen into disrepair, and although part of the land was sold to create Wetherspoons, the then owner, Torquay-based Whitehaven Marina, struggled to secure the future of the remainder of the land as plans including a hotel, office and homes fell through.

In 2013, Copeland Council agreed to the demolition of the bus station on safety grounds. BEC bought the site for an undisclosed amount in February 2015 and has been working towards its redevelopment since.