Plans to knock down a crumbling group of buildings and replace them with up to 20 houses in a small village have been given the go-ahead.

Allerdale council planning officials said the outline application to demolish three commercial buildings at a site known as Graham's Garage would reduce employment opportunities in Prospect, between Maryport and Aspatria.

They recommended the application for refusal.

But the council’s development panel met this afternoon and gave the plans the green light.

Councillor Adrian Davis-Johnston, who moved the application for approval, said the merits of the application outweighed the constraints of the council's Local Plan.

Applicant Brian Graham, who owns the site with Helen Ostle, told the panel that bringing the buildings up to scratch would cost more than they would be worth and that the only viable option was to demolish them to make way for a residential development.

He added: "Me and my sister have normal jobs, we are not property developers.

"It's really becoming a white elephant and, in my opinion, if it's ignored it's going to put us both in financial straits.

"We've only recently inherited this property and it's inevitably going to head for dereliction unless something happens quickly."

The viability of the scheme was discussed behind closed doors due to commercially sensitive information.

At the moment, three commercial units are occupied on the site – a vehicle repair garage, upholsters and a caravan breakers.

The commercial units have been on the site since 1938 with a showroom being built in the 1970s. During the 1950s and 1960s there was also a petrol station on the land.