Copeland Council has completed the purchase of the Egremont site where the Red Lion pub once stood.
The council has partnered with BEC (Building Extraordinary Communities) to purchase the building and demolish the unsafe structure which has been derelict for almost two decades.
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, said: “This building has been an eyesore on the Egremont landscape since the mid-2000s.
“I was first elected in 2015, and it has been my mission to transform the market place and something our teams have painstakingly fought for over a number of years, so I am absolutely delighted that we have now reached the point of having total control of the site.
“We have some incredibly exciting plans and will soon be inviting public views on the development which will revitalise the market place.
“This is big news for Copeland and huge news for the town and I’d like to take the opportunity to publicly thank everyone who has poured an incredible amount of effort into making this possible.”
