CONCERNS have been raised over a proposed housing development in Carlisle.

Currock Avenue Limited applied for planning permission from Carlisle City Council to construct 92 new homes and communal car parking on disused land at Currock Yard in Carlisle.

Carlisle City Councillor for Currock and Upperby, Colin Glover, said he has heard a number of concerns from residents relating to a potential increase in traffic, particularly on South Western Terrace, as a result of the new development.

“A lot of homes have now got two vehicles and you’re talking towards 200 vehicles using that road,” said Cllr Glover.

“Those houses [on South Western Terrace] were built at a time when very few people had vehicles and the street is not designed to take the sort of volume of traffic that this development would bring with it.

“The principal concern is about traffic and safety.

“If you’re coming out of South Western Terrace, there’s a steep incline coming up on to Currock Road. I could foresee a situation where emergency vehicles or council refuse vehicles getting on to this site and not being able to get off again when it’s slippy.

“It’s bad enough for cars on that hill, but for large vehicles [it] would turn into a complete nightmare.

“They must look at alternative access, because South Western Terrace is totally unsuitable.

“It’s irresponsible to use that as the principle and only access on to the site.

“The visibility coming out of South Western Terrace on to Currock Road is very poor and when you combine that with speeding traffic it’s a recipe for disaster.”

The application for the new development was received on July 26 2021 and a decision is yet to be made.

Currock Avenue Limited said the development will provide “much needed” family housing in the area.

They also said that they are “aware” of residents' concerns and that they are “keen to work with them to mitigate any disruption during the construction phase”.

A Currock Avenue Limited spokesperson said:"Currock Avenue Limited has proposed 92 new housing units to Currock Yard, providing much needed family housing in the area.

"The site gained a previous approval from Carlisle City Council for 99 units, a density deemed acceptable in highway safety terms by both Carlisle and Cumbria County Council Highways.

“However, as a responsible developer, our proposals at Currock Yard have scaled this back to 92 units. This will both reduce anticipated traffic whilst also creating a higher quality living environment than that previously supported.

“The submitted plans include improvements to the existing access to Currock Yard. This will ease a current parking constraint of vehicles having to park across the public footpath.

“Currock Avenue Ltd is however aware of local concerns for those residents in particular and keen to work with them to mitigate any disruption during the construction phase and ensure the improvements proposed work to provide mutual benefits; such as maintaining exclusivity of the new parking area to those living on South Western Terrace.

“Finally, as part of the planning process, we have engaged highways consultants to assist the design process and avoid any impact on the existing road network. A Framework Travel Plan will be implemented to encourage new residents to use non-car modes of transport, given the sites highly sustainable location with close proximity to the city centre.”