Controversial plans for the demolition of a valued Seaton building have been given the go ahead.

The Royal British Legion applied to Allerdale Council last month for permission to demolish its former club, which recently operated as The Grayson, and the proposal was approved this week.

Danny Horsley, councillor for Seaton on Allerdale and the parish council, was vocal before the decision about his desire to save the building but said that would now require a judicial review which could cost about £30,000.

Coun Horsley said he plans to speak to people affected by the demolition to decide what to do next after dozens objected to the plans to the council.

“We are absolutely gutted,” he added. “They are taking an amenity away from the people of Seaton, who have supported them since the 1950s.”

Workington MP Mark Jenkinson, who started a petition to oppose the demolition of the building which received hundreds of signatures, said it would be “a disastrous loss of a community asset” and labelled the council’s decision “flawed”.

He said: “They have failed to take account of huge amounts of evidence that the building falls into the A4 use class which is protected in planning law, instead choosing to side with the developer.”

A spokesperson for the Royal British Legion said demolition plans would progress once COVID-19 restrictions were more widely lifted.

They added: “We continue to take all enquiries for the site, so having demolition consent widens the potential opportunities.

“We have five years to commence demolition under the consent and, although we have offered to meet with relevant bodies to explore future options, no representative or elected member has taken that offer up.”

The RBL had previously gained permission to knock down part of the building to create access for a controversial housing development in the field behind it.

Lindsey Devlin, a former barmaid at the pub, said when the application was revealed that she had already started revamping the building with a view to reopening once coronavirus restrictions were lifted, although she admitted a formal agreement for her to take over the club was not in place.

The legion spokesperson added: "The building is vacant, no new lease has been agreed with anyone and the property has been rundown, dangerous and structurally unsafe for some time."