Two buildings which housed Cumbria County Council workers for nearly 30 years are to be demolished – and probably replaced by a revenue-generating car park.

Council officials have submitted plans to demolish the Lonsdale Building and the so-called Lower Gaol Yard Building in Carlisle city centre.

Both are located in the so-called "Courts Complex," a short distance from the historic former crown court Citadel building.

County council staff recently moved out following the opening of the authority's new Cumbria House HQ on Botchergate.

In a detailed report on the demolition plan, submitted to Carlisle City Council, officials say the two council buildings are in such a poor condition they are unlikely to find new occupiers.

Cumbria County Council Leader Stewart Young said the hope is to build a low-rise multi-storey car park on the site, offering much needed parking spaces near the railway station while generating cash.

He said: “The Lower Gaol Yard Building was a temporary building and the Lonsdale Building is also now well past its sell-by date and it would need a lot of money spending on it if somebody wanted to keep it.

“The intention is to put a car park on the site, but it wouldn't be higher than the surrounding buildings. It would generate revenue.”

A report on the two unwanted buildings says that they do not make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the area.

It states: “The value of the buildings may be accurately described as negligible, with a negative impact on their surroundings.”

Council chiefs were forced to rethink their plans about the area around The Citadel after ministers snubbed their bid for redevelopment cash worth £21.7 million.

The authority had hoped to carry out a wholesale redevelopment of that part of the city under the Carlisle Station Gateway and Citadel Project.

The vision was to open up the historic area around the railway station, turning it into a vibrant city centre gateway.

But those plans were thrown into doubt when the Government confirmed that it had allocated the schemes just £1m. That cash is likely to be spent on redeveloping a former Cumbria County Council building in the area.

The Carlisle Station Gateway and Citadel Project was one among a string of projects which Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership hoped to fund had its bid for £165m from the Government’s Growth Deal 3 been successful.

The county as a whole got only £12.7m.