A SOUTH Lakes town is a step closer to seeing hundreds of new homes built after planning experts recommended outline proposals be approved.

A 330-home estate has been earmarked for construction on a 15.2-hectare site on the western boundary of the Croftlands estate in Ulverston.

The proposed development - between Urswick Road and Mountbarrow Road - would mark another step in the delivery of the South Lakeland Local Plan which will result in more than 1,000 houses built by 2025.

Ulverston mayor, Councillor Mark Wilson, was pleased with the application, and grateful the town council was consulted during the process.

He said with adequate provision for affordable housing and flood management, the development would be a positive thing for the town.

Cllr Wilson added: "This is not just for one generation, it is a legacy, it is multi generational, a good range of housing options for the future people of Ulverston. People will come and Ulverston will thrive."

The application for planning permission by the developer, Friesland Construction Limited, includes a provision that 35 per cent of the homes built must be affordable.

This is the minimum percentage outlined by the district council to be included in any development of more than nine dwellings.

At the Nook Farm Development, this would mean out of 330 homes, 112 would be classed as affordable.

In contrast to the mayor, town councillor for the West ward, Councillor Pat Jones, was unhappy with the proposed development site.

She said: "There are a lot of houses. It's just the tip of the iceberg."

Cllr Jones said the number of houses in the development was "intensive", a sentiment she said was echoed by local residents.

She said: "The people in the ward are feeling the same way."

The developer has committed to help upgrade the junction at Cross-a-Moor to ease congestion but Cllr Jones does not feel it will be enough to cope with the estimated 220 to 240 extra car journeys a day.

She said: "They haven't thought it out."

Stipulations within the planning document spell out the developer's obligation to provide a traffic management solution, as well as an effective flood management plan.

To reassure residents affected by the development, SLDC portfolio holder for housing and innovation, Councillor Jonathan Brook, said: "What I can say is it (the plan) is very much in line with the local plan and has been carefully considered over a long period of time."

Cllr Brook added the local plan guarded the South Lakes against rampant development by strict guidance over what land can be built on.

He continued: "If we don't have the plan, it would be a dartboard and we would be beholden to developers."

Planning committee members at SLDC are due to meet on Thursday to discuss the application and the attached recommendations, with a final decision to be made later in the year.

Read more about the local plan in Ulverston:

Read about the local opposition to the Nook Farm development when it was first announced

Another Ulverston development has come under fire due to its high flood risk location