Villagers oppose plans for housing development

Story Homes wants to build 180 houses off Seaton Road

Plans for 180 homes to be built in a village have been met with fierce opposition from residents.

Story Homes wants to build the houses off Main Road in Seaton, near Workington, Cumbria.

Nearly 300 letters of objection have been submitted by residents, who believe the plans will create traffic chaos and overwhelm local schools.

The developer said its proposal had been "carefully considered" and they had worked with authorities to mitigate concerns.

Cumberland Council planning officers have recommended the project for approval and councillors are due to make a decision on Wednesday.

Severe impact

Seaton Parish Council, which was consulted by planners, said it was "extremely concerned" about the proposal, which would see 118 four- to six-bedroom homes built on the vacant land, with the rest being a mixture of two- and three-bedroom houses.

The parish council said the village was already of a similar size to Keswick, but "without the supporting amenities".

"The impact of the size of families in these properties on the infrastructure of the village will be severe, leaving highways and schools struggling to accommodate the resulting vehicles and children and an inadequate drainage infrastructure," it said.

It added that recently approved developments, in addition to the proposals, would mean more than 400 homes being built in the village since 2020 - a 20% increase in the size of Seaton.

Story Homes has already built about 70 homes in High Seaton, and different firms recently received permission for more than 90 homes in Low Seaton, with a further separate development under construction in the village.

'Cash cow'

Resident Danny Horsley, 50, of Derwent Bank, said the plans were "a step too far".

Mr Horsley, who is also a parish councillor, said: "They are using Seaton as an absolute cash cow."

He added he was concerned that Story Homes were due to be given permission for the homes with a requirement for just 18 of them to be affordable, instead of the quota of 36 (20%) that national guidance recommended.

Planners said the reduction would be acceptable due to viability concerns the firm raised.

Mr Horsley said: "We've got to put up with the burden of all the extra traffic, on our infrastructure which is overloaded already, our schools are just going to get to breaking point very shortly - it's just getting ridiculous."

'Carefully considered'

Story Homes said it had consulted the appropriate bodies, who raised no concerns about highways and schools.

They added benefits of the development would include a new play area, improvements to the road accessing the proposed development, as well as the creation of jobs during construction.

They added: "Our proposals have been carefully considered to address concerns relating to infrastructure capacity and highway safety, and we have worked collaboratively with the relevant authorities to design proposals that will mitigate such concerns and deliver benefits to the local community."

Cumberland Council said it would be inappropriate to comment on a live planning application.