More than 70 people attended a meeting to object against plans for new homes in a village near Workington.
Cumbria County Council has applied for outline permission to build a nine-house estate in Bridgefoot.
The authority said that nine was an ‘early estimate’ for the number of homes on land at Scots Croft.
Villagers in Bridgefoot and nearby Little Clifton are concerned that if given the go-ahead, it will mean that it will remove one of the last green spaces in Bridgefoot.
The meeting was told that the parish council of Little Clifton and Bridgefoot intended to lodge an objection.
Other objections raised at the meeting included:
- The development would mean the removal of a footpath that is used by school children
- The road near the potential development is single track and the potential addition of 20-plus vehicles using this road was not deemed acceptable. Residents also expressed concern about the village roads as a whole, particularly access and egress from various roads or to the village proper.
- The development’s environmental impact and fears that the small sewage works in the village, which has flooded more than once.
Many villagers also claimed that they had not received a leaflet about the plans, which the developer said had been sent out.
Parish councillor Dan Cassidy said: “From my perspective, I am extremely disappointed in the council and their consultation. A leaflet does not fulfil the council’s obligation to consult with and hear the residents’ concerns.”
People at the meeting said they would like the land to be sold to the current tenant farmer who has expressed interest in buying it or to allow the villagers or parish council to buy the land to develop into a community space with rewilding and possibly a place for children in the village to play.
The outline scheme is for two-storey homes would be four-bedroom and the proposals would see three terraced homes, four semi-detached houses and two detached homes.
The authority said that the combined villages of Bridgefoot and Little Clifton had around 445 homes, so the proposed development would see a two per cent increase in the village’s scale.
It said: “Each unit will have an adequate number of parking spaces as set out in Cumbria design manual for highways, which indicates parking requirements for less than 10 properties need only be two per property.”
Explaining early plans for the layout, the county council said: “As this is an outline planning application, specific details would be agreed at reserved matters stage.
“The layout of the indicative scheme, however, takes the form of terraced, semi-detached and detached housing which has been staggered so the buildings are not regimented to emulate that of the existing development, particularly Scots Croft and Sycamore Garth and other surrounding streets.
“Access to the site will be from Fell View to the west of the site.”
It added that care has been taken to ensure that traffic issues are not caused by the new homes.
The council’s planning statement said: “The vehicular entrance to the site is proposed off Fell View road to the west of the development site.
“This location facilitates sufficient visibility in both directions, ensuring the safety of vehicles entering and exiting the site.”
