A VACANT site earmarked for a supermarket should be converted into homes instead, a meeting of Ulverston Town Council was told.

Brewers Frederick Robinson Ltd won consent from South Lakeland District Council last April to create a supermarket at its Hartley’s Brewery site.

The controversial application was passed by planning councillors by just one vote.

Earlier this month it was revealed that a judge will rule whether SLDC followed correct procedures when approving the plan.

At a meeting of the town council on Monday, Greenbank resident Dr Richard Rowlett said: “The neglect of the site is a disgrace and a stain on the reputations of both Robinsons and SLDC.

“They should remove this stain by co-operating with us, the people of Ulverston, in converting the site to a residential complex. We cannot allow them to neglect these unique buildings to the point of collapse.”

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The scheme proposed the demolition of buildings on the Brewery Street site, building a food supermarket with a floorspace of more than 3,000 sq metres and a 90-space car park – and turning the Bird In Hand, and Union Inn pubs into either shops, offices or cafes.

Coun Jane Harris added: “The old brewery site is continuing to deteriorate and allowing that to happen doesn’t show much respect.

“Robinsons will simply allow the site to decay and so it seems worth making a reasonable approach to keep all options on the table such as mixed housing or a retail development that is not as damaging as a supermarket.”