AN APPLICATION to build 18 properties on the edge of a Furness village has been submitted to South Lakeland District Council.

The homes on land to the east of Foxfield Road, Broughton, would be two-, three- and four-bedroom and would each have an electric car charging point.

A planning statement submitted in support of the application says the scheme would comprise a mixture of detached, semi-detached and terraced properties.

The properties would predominantly be two-storey, although two bungalows are included.

The plan, submitted by Garry Ross, of Duddon Valley Developments, features five affordable homes, below the requirement of six – 35 per cent.

The planning statement attributes this to 'the significant costs required to resolve the drainage issues at the site and help resolve localised flooding issues'.

The statement, submitted by town planning services firm Peter Winter, says a terrace and a pair of semi-detached properties would comprise the affordable element of the scheme.

"The terrace will be offered for sale to a housing association, whilst the semis will be offered for low-cost sale, with the initial fixed sale price being based on the council's upgraded figure – currently £127,015," it says.

The site that the homes would be built on is an agricultural field, with the applicant having also purchased an adjacent area of woodland.

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"In particular, the small area of semi-natural broadleaf woodland was identified as having the best ecological value on site and the best opportunity for biodiversity enhancement," says the planning statement.

"A detailed scheme for this is currently being prepared and will be submitted shortly."

The statement says a section of public open space adjacent to the site entrance would aid 'the transition between the countryside and the existing residential development'.

It says the open space would be managed by a company set up by the applicant.

"Local-stone walls are also introduced to help relate the scheme to the landscape, and provide an 'end stop' to the residential development," it says. 

Air source heat pumps and solar panels would be installed to make the development more environmentally friendly.