A “BRILLIANT” plan to transform a Barrow town centre “eyesore” has been given the green light.

A planning application for 58 new homes in the former Arthur Street area was unanimously agreed by Barrow Council’s planning committee at a meeting at the town hall on Tuesday.

Ahead of work starting, developers Sheffield-based Gleeson Regeneration Ltd will need to sign off its construction management plan with the council.

Barrow Council's principal planning officer,  Charles Wilton, said the regeneration scheme was now on track, having taken 10 years for a variety of reasons outside the authority's control. He added the housing had been "sensitively planned" and recommended permission was granted.

Committee chairwoman Cllr Ann Thomson told the panel: “I am all for granting this because that site is an eyesore with all the fly-tipping. The poor residents have been driven demented with it because all that happens is whenever you fence it off, someone gets in and tips things."

She added: "It’s an absolute eyesore and the sooner it is developed, the better, for me. I know when they are building it, it may cause residents a bit of upset but once it’s built, it will be absolutely brilliant and gives us some more diverse housing in the borough.

Barrow mayor and planning committee member, Cllr Bill McEwan also welcomed the scheme. Cllr Martin McLeavy questioned whether the properties would be truly “affordable” to people, but said the project was "really good" for the town centre.

To help give people a leg up on the housing ladder, 40 per cent of the two bedroom houses will be affordable starter homes.

The site is where 126 terraced homes across Arthur Street and Marsh Street were compulsorily purchased and then flattened six years ago. The applicants snapped up the site for £302,000 and plan to build 23 properties with two-bedrooms, 15 three-bedroom semi-detached houses, 17 three-bedroom detached homes, and three properties with four bedrooms. It could mean a jobs boost for local companies too because the company said it plans to hire "reliable, reputable labour and sub-contractors" to work on the project.