CONTROVERSIAL plans to demolish Ashton Gardens Institute to make way for a four-storey flat development were approved by Fylde Borough Council planning committee.

Newfield Jones Homes, the St Annes-based company proposing to build a sheltered housing development on the site, have been granted permission to demolish the building and to build a 57-apartment retirement development backing on to the park on St George's Road.

The approval of the plans was granted despite objections from campaigners and neighbouring residents. In a letter to the council, the Lytham St Annes Civic Society stated: "The Ashton Institute was designed to form an elegant backdrop to the park. The fact that it is at present unused is no reason to allow its demolition and to assume that there will be no future use for it."

But last week Newfield Jones offered to appease protesters by offering to renovate the park's existing bowling pavilion by modernising it and making it look more like the Institute which will be demolished to make way for the flats.

The renovations to the bowling pavilion include landscaping, a large terraced area at the cafe, bowling club rooms, new toilets and a new roof.

Newfield Jones' managing director, John Hayfield, said: "Because there's a small minority of people who seem saddened by the loss of the Institute we have submitted plans for the conversion of the flat roofed bowling pavilion.

"The plans are to convert, extend and improve it, and make it look like the Ashton Institute building we are hoping to take down."

But consideration of these plans, along with the final go-ahead for the building of the new flats, hinges on a meeting of the council's policy and resources committee next month. Before the company can start work on the development it needs to buy land at the rear of the site, currently owned by the council.

Mr Hayfield said: "They will make a decision about the sale of the land and consider the plans for the bowling pavilion. As part of the proposal we are suggesting that the revenue they receive from the sale of the land could be re-invested in the Gardens."

He said that the company hopes to begin work on the new flats development early next year, once the sale of the land has been agreed and the matter passed by the council.

Mr Hayfield said that the Institute had been redundant for some years. "These people who are protesting seem to live in a time warp and think any alteration is a bad thing. Things have to improve and as buildings become redundant they have to be replaced.

"Unfortunately that's what people like the Civic Society don't seem to accept. They want to cling on to a heritage at any price."

Members of the Civic Society were unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.