A DERELICT bus depot that attracts drinkers, drug users and vandals is to be used to launch a new look for Morecambe.

The disused Stagecoach Ribble bus depot on Heysham Road is to be demolished to make way for 35 mews-style houses and modern two-bedroom apartments.

A Lancaster construction firm is to spearhead the project which Cllr Tina Clifford says will 'kick-start' regeneration in the resort's West End.

She told Lancaster City Council's planning committee on Monday that the depot was a 'magnet' for drug takers, vandals and boy racers.

"It has turned into a haven for under-age drinking, vandalism and arson which gives local residents sleepless nights with loutish behaviour and car stereos blaring long into the night," she said.

The depot is located in the area of the resort covered by the West End Masterplan, which aims to tackle the over-supply of poor quality private rented accommodation by rebuilding family homes for sale.

The revamp will be undertaken by First base Homes of Lancaster - but it does not have unanimous approval.

Local woman Carolyn Downs, speaking on behalf of residents of Cumberland View Road, told the planning committee that the sheer scale of the four-storey apartment block would be overbearing and the scale of the development would increase the population in the area to too high a level.

And Cllr Evelyn Archer said the scheme was 'yet another example of councillors from Lancaster telling Morecambe what was good for it'.

But head of planning Andrew Dobson said First Base Homes would be spending a significant amount of money on decontaminating the land and alternative developers were 'not exactly queueing up' to invest.

Cllr Anne Chapman said the influx of a new residents would give a valuable boost to the local economy and encourage young people to put their money into the housing market.