PLANS have finally been lodged for an “eyesore” former snooker club site which has stood empty for years.

An application has been submitted to Allerdale Borough Council to build a block of 16 apartments on a former snooker club site on Duke Street in Workington.

The snooker hall was demolished in 2014 to allow planning approval to commence for eight terraced houses on Duke Street.

Land has sat empty since but TVH Limited has submitted an application to build the flats on the former site.

An assisted living service would be provided in the apartments for those who require care.

The application is currently under consultation.

Cumbria County Councillor for St Michael’s ward Alan Barry said: “It’s been empty for quite a number of years so it’s just become a bit of an eyesore.

“Anything that goes on there will fill an empty space and you can only hope they’ve done their market research.

“If assisted living is something that’s required I’m sure the people of St Michael’s will look after them. That’s another major issue you can’t just build these places, the community has got to be welcoming, to support them.

“Hopefully the community will do that and they’ll get a good reception. It’s a very welcoming area is Workington, particularly Saint Michaels.”

In their design and heritage statement architects Green Swallow said: “Off-street parking has been provided for support staff to the building frontage.

“The proposed layout sees a break in the traditional street frontage with a recessed entrance area to provide relief to the street scene and allow the introduction for off street parking.”

“A simple palette of materials” has been selected to match the modern appearance of the Travel Lodge to the north.

The applicant said: “The is no requirement to match the existing street scene in material and proportion and this modest scheme allows for a new contemporary palette to be introduced. It sees a significant improvement on the current site and that of the now demolished snooker hall.”

The public can comment on planning applications in their area on the Allerdale Borough Council website.

To view planning applications submitted to Allerdale Borough Council, visit: https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/planning-building-control/planning-applications/