Homes at former factory site get initial approval

Westmorland and Furness Council granted initial approval for homes at the former factory site

Plans to build 42 homes on the site of a former factory in south Cumbria have been initially approved.

Westmorland and Furness Council granted outline planning permission to build the homes at the former Urofoam factory in Askam.

However, the council has imposed 27 conditions that must be met to ensure the development is acceptable.

One condition means that the development would be halted if contamination is found on the site that presents an "unacceptable risk".

If so, no development would be allowed until a remediation scheme is approved by the council.

Other conditions relate to access to the site and sustainable drainage, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The site is located to the south-east of James Street and to the east of Duddon Road, and is approximately 5km (3.1 miles) north-west of Dalton-in Furness.

Access to the site is from Duddon Road to the south, next to Askam Rail Station.

The land covers and area of 1.37 hectares (13,700 sq m) and is mainly covered by a factory previously used by Urofoam Ltd, which specialises in making items such as stress balls, memory foam and noise reduction foam.

It had previously been a shoe factory operated by K Shoes.