RESIDENTS are being urged to formally log their complaints against a new development which could see 155 homes being built on greenfield land. 

An action group meeting was held earlier tonight at the Barrow Co-operative Social Club in Dane Avenue at 7.30pm. 

Residents from the area came together to discuss the plans put forward by Cumbria developer Oakmere Homes. 

Oakmere Homes has applied for outline planning permission to construct executive-style family homes on a 12.5 hectare site off Dalton Lane, near to the junction with Abbey Road, in Barrow.

Concerns were raised and each resident has been urged to write a letter to Barrow Borough Council outlining their objections by December 18. 

William Woodhouse, from The Gardens, Dane Ghyll Park, has helped form the action group. 

He said: "We feel that if the development goes ahead it will have a major impact on the entrance to Barrow."

Other concerns raised were the loss of the existing green open fields and agricultural farmland, the impact the development will have on wildlife and the increase in traffic it will bring to the area, especially to the already-busy Dalton Lane, which is the main way of accessing Furness General Hospital. 

In attendance were Barrow Borough councillors Dave Roberts, Alan Pemberton and Levi Gill. 

All three of them spoke out against the development. 

Cllr Roberts said: "This application has been put forward in every decade for the last 30 to 40 years and it has always been unsuccessful. 

"To build 155 houses there will have  a big impact on the area and we just don't need that. It's going to cause additional congestion especially around the hospital.

"You can kill this in its tracks by registering your complaints."

Cllr Gill took to the stand and explained that if people remained quiet then this application could "slip through".

He said: "You need as many complaints as possible, you need to voice your concerns."

A member of the public who stood up and spoke was Dr Bhuiyan, a consultant anaesthetist from Furness General Hospital. 

He said: "It's very important that the access road to Furness General Hospital should be free all the time. 

"It could be a fraction of a second that could mean life or death for someone." 

The application is only at the outline stage so the company says it does not yet include full design details for accessibility. 

However, the developer’s application to the council said a secondary, emergency access road would be built off Breast Mill Beck Lane, which will also serve as a pedestrian route.