90 new homes set for approval off Orton Road, Carlisle

Members of Cumberland Council's planning committee are due to meet at the Civic Centre in Carlisle and will consider the planning application from Genesis Homes (North) on Wednesday, January 31.

The developer is hoping to build the new properties on land to the west of the junction on Orton Road and Sandsfield Lane, on the south-west edge of the city.

The application has been met with a number of concerns, with several objectors raising the spectre of overdevelopment.

Immediately to the south east of the site is Oakleigh Fields, a housing development of 156 dwellings currently being developed. Not far away is a proposed development of more than 700 homes at Morton, as well as the planned Garden Village of 10,000 homes.

Both Beaumont and Cummersdale parish councils have registered their objection to the plans.

In its objections, Beaumont voiced concern over garden sizes - over 40 per cent of the houses have a garden size of less than 80 metres squared - and visitor parking, with "only 18 visitor parking places for 90 houses".

In its objection, Cummersdale parish council said: "This site was not included in the Carlisle & District Local Plan and should be considered with the developments in Carlisle West including the proposed Morton development and the Garden Village.

An overview of the plans (Image: Cumberland Council planning portal)

"This is an example of the development considered individually, not the cumulative effect on the area as with other recent developments in this vicinity," it added.

Eighteen further objections have been received from locals and one from the local councillor.

According to a planning report, the 5.83-hectare site is described as agricultural land.

The report states: "There is an existing field access off Orton Road approximately 70 metres from the junction of Orton Road and Sandsfield Lane."

It is proposed that the development would consist of a range of different house types, from terraced to detached, and single-storey to two-storey. "The dwellings would have various designs and would utilise a range of features to add visual interest and variety," it added.

The site's location on the south-west edge of Carlisle (Image: Newsquest)

The applicants said that the "mix aims to strike a balance between meeting the housing needs of existing local residents and providing a wider choice of aspirational housing in terms of size, type, tenure and price which enables both the existing community to relocate within the neighbourhood and also to attract new residents to the area."

It is recommended that permission be granted subject to a number of conditions including:

• The provision of affordable housing - eight discounted sale properties and nine with affordable rent;
• Payment of £409,800 towards secondary education;
• Payment of £6500 towards a traffic regulation order;
• Payment of £6600 towards a travel plan monitoring fee;
• Payment of £78,433.50 to enhance, increase accessibility, and upgrade existing facilities on Yewdale Road and Richmond Green;
• Payment of £29,484 toward the provision of artificial pitches district wide;

Th planning report added that although the site is not included Carlisle's 'local plan', which designates sites for housing, it should be allowed as a 'windfall site'. "It is a well-established planning principle enshrined in current planning policies transparent at both national and local level that windfall sites contribute in a positive way to the supply of housing," the report concluded.

At the same meeting, a separate application for 42 new homes at Little Corby is also set to be discussed.