Cumbria: Plans to build holiday lets at disused quarry

Boaterby quarry, in Cumbria, is mainly accessed by Peter Gate road

A former quarry could become home to dozens of timber-clad holiday lodges after plans were submitted.

Cumberland Council has received an application to transform the site at Boaterby quarry near Cotehill, Cumbria.

It comes after plans to turn the site into landfill and a refuse tip were dropped by the preceding authority, Cumbria County Council.

Developer Stephen Dixon said the lodges and park would attract tourists and bring "much-needed economic input".

The quarry, which covers about 14 hectares (35 acres) of land, has a central lake and is surrounded by farmland, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Plans suggest 40 timber-clad lodges would be built at the site, along with parking spaces for 60 cars and two light goods vehicles.

"Parking and built infrastructure will introduce an engineered element into the landscape, but this will only be visible from within the site," read a statement from Mr Dixon.

"The application seeks to create a park for lodges to be sited... it would also bring much-needed economic input to the locality, through use of local public houses and other facilities, such as farm shops and visitor attractions."

Mr Dixon has claimed the development is unlikely to alter the landscape, describing its impact as "localised".

A council decision on the plans is expected to be made later.