A controversial plan to build 29 homes near Kendal have been recommended for approval.
The proposal would see a series homes of between two and five bedrooms built on a greenfield site adjacent to Sedgwick Road at Natland.
South Lakeland District Council has been sent 56 letters of representation about the scheme.
Among the criticisms put forward by members of the public are the ‘unsustainable’ location – with public transport services limited – and the lack of amenities in the village to accommodate the increased numbers of people.
David J Ratcliffe, of Smithy Close, which is next to the proposed site, felt Sedgwick Road ‘was never intended to carry as much traffic as it already does’ and expressed concerns about the impact of the development on this.
Helen Rosemary Jones, of Town End Court, which is off Sedgwick Road, expressed concern about a lack of facilities in the village to accommodate the development, referencing the village shop having closed.
She said Sedgwick Road was ‘increasingly used by through-traffic avoiding busier routes’ and was ‘frequently too narrow for vehicles along its length’.
“Additional cars and access roads on this short stretch will create extra hazards,” she said.
The application is due to be scrutinised by the district council’s planning committee on Thursday.
The development would be comprised entirely of two-storey homes, 10 of them affordable.
A total of 83 parking spaces – four for visitors – are to be provided on site. Residents’ spaces are to be split between driveway and garage provision.
Case officer Charlotte Pinch, in a report produced ahead of the meeting, said the three vehicular access points proposed would be able to provide suitable visibility along Sedgwick Road – potentially subject to hedges or walls being amended by the applicant, Jones Homes.
She said a flood risk and drainage design statement had been submitted as part of the application and that this ‘satisfactorily provides adequate drainage-system proposals to eliminate risk of flooding elsewhere outside the site’.
Ms Pinch recommended the application for approval subject to a number of conditions, including that ‘precise details of the location, number and design of bicycle parking spaces’ at the site are submitted to the council for approval.
