Green light for homes and accessible holiday lets

An artists impression of the proposed new development in Bootle

Plans have been approved for homes and accessible holiday lets on a “very novel, very unique” site at an old army base on Cumbria's coast.

The Lake District National Park Authority gave the go-ahead to 50 new homes - including 12 affordable properties - and eight accessible holiday units on Wednesday.

Permission was also granted to build a community hub with a swimming pool.

It replaces a previous scheme, approved in 2015 and including a 40-bedroom hotel, for the site at Wellbank in Bootle.

Janet Nuttall, who owns the plot alongside her husband David and a business partner, said: “The site has beautiful views down the valley to Black Coombe - it’s very novel, very unique.”

Hoist to hot tub

The 2015 plans were part of a £70m scheme to boost the sustainability of Bootle and included new homes and business units, as well as the hotel.

But the owners failed to find a hotel operator and Ms Nuttall said: “There just isn’t a need here on the west coast for a hotel of that size.

“The holiday cottages for the disabled will be fully accessible, with hoist tracks throughout the whole downstairs of these cottages and even outside to the hot tub.

"There is definitely a need as my husband David is a wheelchair user.”

The house plots are being sold for £120,000 with it costing upwards of £200,000 to build a house.