A housing developer has lodged an appeal after plans for a new estate in South Cumbria was turned down.
Mulberry Homes want to build 17 houses on the site of Combe House, a former care home on Walney Island’s Central Drive.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s Barrow’s planning committee refused the application in October.
But Mulberry Homes has appealed that decision and now an inquiry will be held by a government inspector.
The appeal said the site had been vacant for some time and the building was increasingly falling into a poor state of repair.
The developer said: “The redevelopment of the site and delivery of housing would bring positive benefits and lead to an enhancement of the area.”
However, in response, the council said it did not consider the the proposal to be high quality sustainable or appropriate.
It added: “Whilst the redevelopment of the site for residential purposes is acceptable in principle and welcomed, the manner in which the appeal proposal has been designed and laid out is not.
“It is considered that the site is capable of being redeveloped in a much more attractive and sustainable way that would still bring positive benefits such as the supply of new housing on previously developed land in an accessible location.”
At the planning meeting in October a member of staff at nearby Walney Central Nursery, which supports 76 families, voiced her concern over anti-social behaviour on the site and said staff had called the police on numerous occasions.
Mrs Browne spoke of regular fires at Combe House and asked: “What happens to the 76 families if that fire engulfs the nursery or causes damage to the nursery bearing in mind there isn’t enough nursery provision in the borough for 76 families?
“Another thing is all the resources that are being used to contain the fires. There were six units for six hours last time, it is a drain on our community’s resources.”
Planning officer Andrew Willison-Holt previously told councillors the site was a suitable location for housing but there were outstanding concerns and objections over what I would regard as an overdevelopment.
The Highways Authority said the number and layout of the parking scheme was not fully satisfactory and described some of the proposed set-up as a typical layout for commercial store parking not residential.
On the parking provision, Mr Willison-Holt told the committee it was unduly contrived and convoluted and added the parking design would result in a poor living environment for future residents.
However, the developer said: “It is considered that an appropriate balance has been struck between and efficient and viable use of this site and the provision of an appropriate level of car parking having regard to the highly sustainable nature of the site.”
The public hearing will take place on August 14 at Barrow Town Hall.
