Concerns have been raised about a plan for a 152-home development in a Lake District village.
Oakmere Homes wants to build the new estate on land off Beetham Road in Milnthorpe, which critics say would potentially result in a considerable swelling of the village’s population, which is home to around 2,000 people.
“What are they doing about doctors, what are they doing about schools?” said village resident and parish council member Peter Capasso.
“I don’t see anything happening in this respect, and I don’t see as Oakmere will be bothered as long as they build their homes.”
Cllr Capasso acknowledged that developments such as the one proposed would help to meet the nation’s housing shortage, with the supply of new homes currently lower than the Government’s ambition of 300,000 per year.
“We do wonder round here what’s going to happen with some of these houses,” he said. “Whether they are going to be second homes or what have you.”
Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, who lives in Milnthorpe, also expressed reservations about the potential for the properties to ‘leak into the second-home and holiday-let market’.
He said he was really concerned about only 13 per cent of the proposed development being affordable dwellings.
“We need new homes, but we don’t really need much more market-price housing,” he said. “We need homes that local families here in Milnthorpe can afford.”
A design and access statement submitted as part of the application to South Lakeland District Council says the site would comprise 101 houses, seven bungalows and 44 apartments. Twenty-eight of the apartments would be for people aged over 55.
The project would also involve the creation of 411 parking spaces.
It said: “The application site occupies a sustainable location close to shops, services, local community facilities and public transport services in Milnthorpe village centre, which is 150 metres to the west of the northern boundary of the site and easily accessible by walking and cycling.
“The village includes a good range of shops, services and businesses, two convenience stores, a supermarket, several food-and-drink outlets, a petrol station, medical centres, a dentist surgery, pharmacy, places of worship, community facilities, a park and recreation area and a sports ground.”
Oakmere Homes was not available for comment.
