PLANS to carry out works on land earmarked for 109 homes have been given the go-ahead – despite concerns over silt pollution.
An application to reprofile ground levels and install surface water drainage on land to the west of Valley View Road in Whitehaven, has been approved by Copeland Council’s planning panel.
The scheme, put forward by Story Homes, will give the developer an advanced start on the earthworks and create space for its ongoing housebuilding.
An application for 109 houses with landscaping, open space, access, highways and drainage, has been lodged separately by Story Homes – but has not yet been approved.
The land is surrounded by the Edgehill Park development, which is currently under construction, the Greenbank housing estate and Wastwater Road. A public footpath runs through the site.
Members of Haig Angling Club, based at Mirehouse Ponds, have objected to the scheme, and say that the construction of the Edgehill and Wilson Howe developments have caused excessive silt build-up in Mirehouse Ponds.
They say this has made the ponds shallow which has caused knock-on environmental effects and compromised the fishery.
But members of the planning panel voted in favour of approving the scheme following a site visit on Wednesday.
A planning report prepared for members said that Story Homes had accumulated around 16,000m3 of clean surplus earth from its ongoing development at Edgehill Park.
The house builder wants to spread the earth across the site to create a development platform for any future residential development there.
Story Homes also proposes the construction of a new SUDS pond on the site and a foul water sewer is proposed in Gameriggs Road to create a future gravity connection to the existing foul infrastructure next to St Bees Road.
Two new permanent land drains are also included within the plans.
Whitehaven Town Council had voiced concerns from a mining perspective and feared that drainage issues would cause severe disruption to Valley View Road and the Greenbank estate.
The Environment Agency initially raised queries over the proposed silt management details but after additional information was submitted, confirmed that the risk of silt contamination to the receiving watercourse had now been adequately mitigated.
READ MORE: Fears over pollution at Mirehouse Ponds near Edgehill Park
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