Plea to diocese over homes planned for north Cumbrian village

The Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd has applied for outline planning permission to build up to nine new homes.

This would be on undeveloped land, known as glebe land, off Rectory Road, in the village near Brampton.

More than 30 objections have already been made, with concerns about how the proposal would damage the nature of the village, which falls within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

There are also worries that more houses would mean increased traffic on the already busy road through the village - and fears that these nine homes could be the start of a phased development.

Now, in a letter to the Bishop of Carlisle, the Right Reverend James Newcome, the newly-formed community group, Save the Glebe, has asked for the planning application to be withdrawn.

It has also called for a meeting to be arranged to discuss if the diocese would gift or sell the land for £1 to the local community - or, failing that, to gift or sell it to the Parochial Church Council, suggesting this way it could be managed locally for both the benefit of the community and to raise income for the local church from rents.

On behalf of Save the Glebe, Pete Miles, who lives in the village, said in the letter, the application "has angered a great number of residents and caused a groundswell of negative opinion towards our parish church."

He said not everyone realises St Peter's Church will receive no benefit from the sale of the land, commenting how people have spoken of boycotting any future fundraising undertaken by the church if this application and sale go ahead.

St Peter's Church Restoration Group has raised £26,000 for the maintenance and repair of the church.

Save the Glebe says help from the rent of the land would help maintain the church into the future.

The letter states: "We would ask you, My Lord, to consider the community's claim on this land and what the community actually needs.

"What we don't need are more houses in this sensitive landscape.

"The village is now 110 houses, 28 of which have been built in the past 15 years.

"None were built in response to a recognised local need for houses," the letter continued.

"We are slowly losing the character of our lovely village, a gateway village to the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Beauty."

In response to the points put forward by the community group, the Venerable Richard Pratt, Archdeacon of West Cumberland, told The Cumberland News the diocese could not consider gifting the land or selling it for £1.

He said: "The Diocesan Board of Finance, which is a charity whose role is to provide financial support for the provision of clergy in parishes across the county, could not possibly contemplate disposing of this land for anything less than a realistic sale price.

"Indeed it would be in dereliction of its duty if it did so."

He explained that the income from the land in question and all other glebe land is used to help pay for the clergy and that income from its sale, if granted planning permission, would continue to be used for that purpose.

The cost of clergy in the benefice - the local group of parishes which includes Castle Carrock - is about £112,000 - but the combined money paid from churches in the benefice is about £107,500.

The wider diocese, he said, is therefore paying for the shortfall through money from glebe rents and dividends, which is why it needs to maximise income on glebe land, not only in this area but county-wide.

Archdeacon Pratt said the diocese was reviewing the application in light of a number of responses made.

"The likely outcome," he said, "is that we will withdraw the existing application and resubmit a revised application."

He said the local authority has identified a need for housing in the area, which would in turn make Castle Carrock School more sustainable.

Discussions with the community have taken place and the diocese said this will continue but that consultations so far show the village is divided in opinion.