The Secretary of State has been asked to make the final decision on the latest changes to plans for a controversial Cockermouth housing development.

Story Homes wants to clear and use an existing culvert on the Strawberry How site to help with drainage at its Strawberry Grange development.

Other changes include the removal of a sub-station which would alter visitor parking spaces, revised traffic calming and changes to some of the house designs.

Members of Allerdale council’s development panel met to discuss the plans on Tuesday and agreed they were minded to approve the changes.

But the final decision could lie with the Government following a request for the Secretary of State to call in the plans.

Story Homes already has full planning permission for 96 homes on the estate and outline permission for another 224.

Adam McNally, one of the developer’s planners, said: “This site is like any others, we’re always looking to make improvements.

“We have got an existing culvert under the railway embankment and we are looking at basically repairing and reinstating what is already there.”

Jim Hully, chairman of campaign group Sustainable Cockermouth, said releasing water into the beck at full speed was more of a flood risk than letting it naturally seep through the old railway embankment.

After the meeting he said he was disappointed councillors were minded to approve the application.

He said: “I am very concerned about the way it has gone today, because to me it has given them carte blanche in phase two to put as much water as they want into Tom Rudd Beck.

“I hope the minister makes it a public consultation and then we can all go and put our points forward.”

He said he believed the culvert identified by Story Homes was actually a narrow pipe.

Dr Jane Roy also objected to the application and asked for a new hydrological report to be produced.

In a separate application, councillors voted to grant advertisement consent for two sales boards for the development with a three-year limit, but permission was refused for an A-board, a visitor parking sign, three hoardings and show home signage.

Concerns had previously been raised about proposed flag signage, which was omitted from this proposal.

Allerdale and Cockermouth town councillor Alan Smith asked for that decision to be made by the panel.