Major plans to build 40 new homes in the Lake District are set to take a step forward.
Atkinson wants to create the new estate in Ambleside, on a field between Loughrigg Park and Borrans Road. It said there will be 22 affordable homes, 16 local occupancy houses and two principal properties.
Members of the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control committee will decide whether to delegate a decision on the proposal to the head of development management when they meet on Wednesday.
The head of development management would then approve the planning application with conditions subject to the completion of the section 106 order.
A planning statement prepared on behalf of Atkinson said: “The site represents an opportunity to provide much needed affordable housing in the parish and has been designed to try and keep any visual impacts to a minimum. Enhancement of boundary planting and further planting of native tree species will further help to integrate the development within the landscape.”
But objections have been raised to the plans, from the Lakes Parish Council, Friends of the Lake District, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and members of the public.
Lakes Parish Council said it was concerned over the potential impact of the development on flooding and water quality as well as concerns over the development’s density and loss of amenity.
In a report prepared for the development control committee the parish council said: “We are very concerned about the current state of water quality in Windermere and surrounding rivers due to poor water treatment and sewage control.
“By adding 40 properties to this catchment area it will further increase pressures on the Ambleside treatment plant which is already running past capacity and pumps raw sewage into Windermere in periods of heavy rain.”
However, according to the report prepared for the meeting United Utilities said it considered the development to be acceptable in principle. It said upgrades had taken place at the treatment works to accommodate forecasted growth and tourism, which included sufficient capacity to accommodate the foul flows from this application site.
Friends of the Lake District said the proposed development would lead to cars dominating and development would cause the loss of mature trees.
In the report planning officers say: “The proposals would result in the loss of a veteran oak tree which national policy instructs should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists.
“The proposals may also result in post-development pressure on a number of other mature trees including veteran and ancient trees given their location in proposed garden areas.
“It is our view that the delivery of 22 affordable homes on an allocated site in a Rural Service Centre represents such exceptional circumstances that the public benefits would clearly outweigh the loss of the oak tree when considered in the context of a chronic under-delivery of affordable housing in Ambleside.”
Members of the Lake District National Park development control committee are recommended to delegate the application to the head of development management to approve subject to a section 106 agreement on Wednesday (November 1).
