The abandonment of a multi-million pound investment scheme could mean newly-built houses in a south Cumbrian town lie empty.

Earlier this week Ulverston was rocked by the double blow of GSK pulling the plug on a £350m investment plan, and then announcing it was seeking a buyer for its main plant.

Close to 1,100 new houses are set to be built in Ulverston over the next decade. In the light of GSK's decision, politicians have weighed in on what the long-term ramifications could be on such large scale plans.

County councillor James Airey questioned the wisdom of the scale of future housing developments.

He said: "This has a massive impact. I've always questioned the huge numbers (of houses) in terms of what Ulverston needs.

"There is no doubt in my mind those houses are not wanted; what we need to do is grow the economy first, then build houses based on that."

District councillor Jonathan Brook, head of housing and innovation also said the news came as a blow.

"There were about 1,100 houses allocated. Obviously, this loss of investment is significant and if that is not going to happen, there will be some effect. The question is - how much will that be?"

Cllr Brook said that although the current SLDC local plan, which determines housing development, will not be changed, there is a possibility any future plans will take the GSK withdrawal into account.

He continued: "Overall we're disappointed but even without that investment we are confident in the economic base that we have."