Plans for 39 new homes in Abbeytown have been given the green light.
Gleeson Homes has been given permission for the development on 4.57 acres of land off Abbey Road.
The new estate will be called Barley Meadows and include two-, three- and four-bedroom semi-detached and detached homes.
Work will begin in the spring and people will be able to buy from the summer, with two show homes due to open in November.
The first residents are likely to move in in December, the company said.
As part of the Section 106 agreement, Gleeson will pay £6,271.20 to the Parish Council to improve the existing children’s play area in Abbeytown.
Gleeson is also providing four affordable housing plots that will be sold at 70 per cent of their open market value specifically to first time buyers from the local area.
To ensure the development is in keeping with its picturesque surroundings and due to its close proximity to the Grade I listed Cultram Abbey, Gleeson will carry out an archaeological dig of the site to help Allerdale council better understand its historical significance.
A sandstone wall that runs along the front of the site will be kept.
Kirk Thompson, operations director at Gleeson, said: “We are thrilled to be commencing work in Abbeytown. We are committed to ensuring that the housing market better serves young first time buyers and families on low to average incomes and with several buying schemes to be made available at Barley Meadows, homeownership will become a reality for many.
“We are looking forward to working with the local community and we will be employing a workforce that mainly comprises of local labour, including apprentices, and contractors.”
