A Government inspector will decide whether a number of self-build homes can be erected on the edge of Kendal after an appeal was lodged.
Mr F and M Pennington have lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate after members of South Lakeland local area planning committee refused an outline application for the construction of eight detached four/five bedroomed homes on land to the north of Underbarrow Road.
The proposed development was refused in April for eight different reasons, according to a decision notice, which said the information submitted did not provide adequate justification for eight detached houses on a 1.3 hectare site.
Other reasons include the lack of an assessment on the impacts the proposed development may have on the neighbouring Lake District National Park.
The planning application said proposals for developments south of Underbarrow Road were accompanied by a report which concluded there would be no impact on the attributes of the World Heritage Site.
The application said: “The site is opposite a much larger site currently being developed for residential purposes and can be regarded as a sustainable windfall site, the development of which is clearly acceptable both in terms of national and local planning policies.
“Most importantly the scheme avoids the production of an abrupt urban edge, with a plot layout that does not harm the character and appearance of the area.”
A letter submitted to planning officers from H&H Land and Estates said it was abundantly evident that demand for four/five bedroom detached houses was high.
Colin Tomlinson, consultant director at H&H estates, told the committee in April: “The demand is emphasised by the constant flow of enquiries at our offices. I would suggest there is an enquiry at least once a week for self-build houses. In fact, I had one personally to me on Tuesday.
“There is no doubt the demand exceeds the supply, there’s a dearth and an absence of available building plots for self-build throughout the Kendal area, South Lakeland and Furness.”
The applicant said it would encourage business owners to come to the area with all the economic and social benefits that come with them.
However, planning officers told the committee data clearly showed the area was in need of two and three-bedroom properties.
A report said: “A recent Rightmove search showed that within five miles of Kendal there were over 100 four-plus bedroom properties for sale, with nearly 50 of those being five-plus bedrooms.
“Interestingly, a search in the same area for two and three-bedroom properties identified 120 properties for sale, which is slightly more than the four-plus bedroom properties, but not significantly more to argue there is a need for more larger properties in the area.”
The 2023 Westmorland and Furness strategic housing and economic needs assessment said that within the South Lakeland area for market housing, the area was most in need of two-bedroom properties, followed by three bedroom properties.
The Planning Inspectorate is considering the appeal.
