MANY readers will be aware of the news that Castles and Coasts Housing Association intends to apply for permission to build 101 dwellings at the rear of Lansdowne Close and Lansdowne Court, the majority of which will be affordable rented tenure.

Those who say ‘great plan in wrong place’ are only skimming the surface. Here’s why.

  • Consultation: The association only gave four days’ notice to some residents of a “public consultation” but failed to notify other residents who would be equally affected.
  • Education: There are few places at the primary schools serving the area. It is expected there will be a large demand for many places should the development go ahead. The education authority is on record for saying that a new school is urgently needed in North Carlisle.
  • Hadrian’s Wall Buffer Zone: Could be at risk.
  • Access: The proposed primary access through Raisbeck Close is 4.8 metres wide, but Cumbria’s Development Design Guide states that a primary road, such as this, should be 5.5 metres wide. Raisbeck Close could become impassable.
  • Health: There is only one GP surgery in North Carlisle, and doubts have been expressed on how this surgery will cope with 300/400 additional patients.
  • Congestion: Access via Beechwood Avenue and/or Windsor Way will create unacceptable congestion at both junctions on to Scotland Road. Traffic will be extensively disrupted.
  • Number of dwellings: The number of dwellings proposed exceeds the council’s upper estimate by 11 houses.
  • Environment: Ancient trees and hedgerows around the site will be either removed or pruned. Wildlife will be driven away.
  • Time: The project could take three years to complete causing sheer misery for hundreds of residents.
  • Topography: Earth moving will result in 40-tonne wagons entering and leaving the site every 15 minutes which will then require access to Scotland Road, an already heavily congested artery.
  • Drainage: Residents have grave concerns over future flooding from the site. I never knew water could go uphill without any help.

There are many other possible consequences. The bottom line is that North Carlisle is already over saturated with new housing developments – Story and Gleeson at Greymoorhill, Persimmon at Windsor Way, Gleeson at Deer Park and potential other developments at Crinkledyle and Stainton.

How many more houses can North Carlisle sustain whilst we already have the “Garden Village” planned for 10,000 new houses? At this rate no one will be left who needs to be housed in the Garden Village.

Anthony Robinson,
Lansdowne Close, Carlisle



YET another housing development application, to the north of the city, may be presented to Carlisle City Council this year. If these continue, it could jeopardise the full potential of the Garden Village to the south, which would be a travesty.

Within those already approved developments north of the city, there are about 700 dwellings still to be started or completed, with a possibility of a further 101.

Ironically, most of the potential sites identified by Carlisle CC in their CDL plan 2015-2030, are not associated with the Garden Village location, as this came after 2015, along with the success of the southern by-pass.

Kingstown and Scotland Road are already experiencing substantial traffic challenges. Perhaps it is time to freeze any more new developments in the north of the city until a revised review of housing sites is carried out including the 10,000 dwellings envisaged for the Garden Village.

Mike Swindlehurst
Lansdowne Crescent, Carlisle