Lakes development gets £12m for roads and housing

A major project planned for a popular town has received more than £12m worth of funding to deliver roads and housing needed for its development.

The Windermere Gateway Project involves the transformation of the Orrest Head Farm site, within the Lake District National Park, for tourism, employment and housing opportunities.

Despite objections, plans were approved and now it has received a £9.95m grant from Homes England to deliver highways works, with an additional £2.5m from Westmorland and Furness Council to build affordable homes.

Council leader Jonathan Brook said the grant would allow it to deliver affordable homes in "one of the most unaffordable areas" of the area.

He said it was a "complex project, with many interdependent parts".

"It will pave the way for a significant number of affordable homes in one of the most unaffordable areas of Westmorland and Furness, particularly impacted by second homes and short-term holiday accommodation, which puts further strain on housing provision for local residents," he said.

The project, which is being built on land owned by the National Trust, aims to tackle traffic flow, redevelop Windermere's railway station, build homes and provide employment opportunities.

It forms a partnership between National Trust, the Lake District National Park Authority, Westmorland and Furness Council and housing developer Urban Splash, which, the council says, will work with a registered social housing provider to bring forward affordable homes.

Plans include 242 new homes on the site, with 133 proposed to be affordable following the £2.5m grant from the council's Affordable Housing Fund.

The council says the homes will be made available for permanent occupancy - not second homes or holiday lets.

Further details are set to be confirmed in an outline planning application, due to be submitted by Urban Splash later this year.

The £9.95m Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Funding from Homes England will go towards highways works for the project, which were approved by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) development control committee in November.

Planning documents submitted to LDNPA said works to the A591 and Thwaites Lane would "unlock" the site.

The council said if the application for housing was not granted, then the Homes England-funded highways works would not proceed.

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