CONTROVERSIAL proposals for a 300 home development on the outskirts of Carlisle have taken a step closer.

Carlisle City Council has received a reserved matters application earlier this month from Kingmoor Park Properties Ltd to build on land at the Harker Industrial Estate.

The new proposals include details on "access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale".

Outline planning permission was previously refused in January 2017 but was allowed on an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in February the following year.

Andy Ross, from consultants Genr8 Group, acting on behalf of the applicant, said the process is likely to take about 13 weeks.

He said if the more detailed plans are accepted then the land will be sold off, either as one site or a number of smaller parcels, to local and national housebuilders.

He added however that "it might be a while" before any building starts.

It is understood that plans are to be considered by the city council's Development Control Committee next week.

City and county councillor Val Tarbitt, who represents the area, said she has concerns over the number of houses being built and the shortage of school places in the area.

The original application had raised a number of objections from residents and had been unanimously refused by members of the committee in 2017. 

One resident said: "I strongly object to such a development of this magnitude, I cannot begin to imagine the effects that I as a resident of this area for over twenty years would start to see if this application is approved. 

"I understand the requirement for housing within the current state of the UK housing.

"However when there are on average 2000 houses currently sat empty within the city of Carlisle it questions the requirement for such a large development of new build houses in this particular area?"

Another nearby resident said: "It is hard enough to get out onto the A7 safely in the morning coming to work, with all the extra vehicles which would be on the road from the development."

And another said: "I wish to strongly object. The surrounding access roads are totally unsuitable to the volume of traffic such as development would generate."

For more information about the proposals go online to Carlisle City Council's website at: publicaccess.carlisle.gov.uk/online-applications

Application number: 21/0194