Plans to expand a new housing estate in South Lakeland have been given a £300,000 boost from the council.
Castle and Coasts Housing Association and Russell Armer Homes want to embark on third phase of the Crookfield development in Staveley.
It would include 20 ‘affordable’ homes and five shared ownership properties. The housing association asked South Lakeland District Council for the £300,000 grant, subject to the scheme being given planning permission.
The grant will support the homes to be highly insulated and maximise solar panels on the affordable rented homes.
It said it would make sure those in the greatest housing need would benefit from lower running costs for their home, along with a greener form of energy production.
Councillor Helen Chaffey, portfolio holder for housing, said: “The demand for affordable housing is high in South Lakeland. A key priority for South Lakeland District Council has for many years been to support the delivery of balanced communities, with the availability of affordable homes a crucial element of that.
“We are delighted to be able to provide this grant, which will support our target of facilitating the construction of 1,000 affordable homes to rent by 2025 while also meeting another council priority of responding to climate change by ensuring that new development is sustainable, energy efficient and flood resilient.”
Members of the council’s cabinet heard that delivering the homes to this higher sustainability standard, plus challenging drainage issues on the site next to the already built phases one and two had added considerably to the project’s build costs.
David Brown, head of development at the housing association, said: “Castles and Coasts remain committed to delivering important affordable housing schemes for local people in need within the Lake District National Park.
“Following the success of our award-winning scheme in Coniston completed in early 2022, which was also supported by the council, we are delighted with this award of grant for the scheme in Staveley.
“Developing new homes in the Lake District is always complex and challenging, with phase three of Crookfield having some site-specific constraints, particularly developing a considered drainage strategy alongside local stakeholders that adds no additional flows to the existing mains sewers in the village, which means the support is essential to allow the site to come forward.”
John Blue, managing director of Genesis and Russell Armer Homes, said: “We are delighted to be involved in the development of 20 affordable homes in the Lake District National Park, accompanying the construction of five open market properties which will be available for summer 2024.
“Sharing the vision with Castles and Coasts, we are committed to making all our developments as environmentally friendly as possible, with the added benefits of enhancing the biodiversity in the local area and reducing the running costs for residents.”
The planning application for the development is expected to be heard by the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control committee in May and if approved, work on site is planned to begin later in the year.
