Homes plan boosted by £25m funding move

The proposed Marina Village scheme in Barrow is set to include 800 homes

Plans to build hundreds of homes in Cumbria have taken a step forward after councillors agreed to accept almost £25m in proposed government funding.

Westmorland and Furness Council is set to receive the money from Homes England for the second phase in the development of Barrow's Marina Village.

The scheme is due to include 800 homes, a nature conservation area and public open spaces.

Council leader Jonathan Brook described the funding as being of "critical importance to Barrow".

The council said the site would have a mix of property types and include open market and affordable housing.

It will now negotiate, finalise and enter a grant funding agreement with Homes England to support with the remediation and other infrastructure works needed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Strategically significant'

Councillor Brook, a Liberal Democrat who represents Kendal South, said: “The development of Marina Village is strategically significant housing site and a long-standing ambition of [the former] Barrow Borough Council.

“This investment is of critical importance to Barrow and indeed the wider Furness peninsula in realising our ambitions as a council to regenerate the town, to support the growth of [submarine-builder] BAE and to ensure the diversity of high-quality sustainable homes for our residents.”

The proposed development will be between Cavendish Dock Road and Salthouse Road on 25 hectares of mostly council-owned land.

The cabinet also delegated authority for planning officers to submit an application for outline planning permission.

Phase one of the development was completed in November, with the remediation of six hectares of land after the scheme secured £5.5m in funding from the government’s Getting Building Fund.

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