PLANS have been lodged to build over 40 new homes in Barrow to provide ‘much needed’ housing for local families.

Mulberry Homes has applied to Westmorland and Furness Council to construct 46 new homes on ‘open fields’ north of Sherbourne Avenue.

According to planning documents, the proposed housing development will consist of a range of two to five-bedroomed properties with five ‘affordable’ homes.

The planning statement says: “The proposal meets the identified need of providing housing to address the imbalance of largely terraced dwellings within the borough and whilst the proposal provides a mix across the range from two to five bedroomed dwellings, the provision of larger housing on the site will allow movement within the existing housing stock as people have an ability to access larger aspirational market housing.”

Planning documents add the proposed development will have a biodiversity increase of 0.15 in terms of habitat units and state following construction, the site can be further enhanced with the provision of bat and bird nesting and roosting areas.

A previous outline planning application for a housing development on the same site was approved but the date to submit reserved matters has now expired.

The design and access statement says: “This site is readily available and deliverable and would sit seamlessly into the surrounding area and would merely become an extension of what is already there whilst providing infill between the existing site already built out and Yarlside Road District, and within the settlement boundary of Barrow, whilst later having the benefit of sustainable development.

“Developments such as these will provide much needed growth for the community as well as a district, whilst forming much needed housing for local families.”

According to planning documents the proposed development would have a ‘negligible’ impact on local roads and is in a location which is ‘highly accessible’ by public transport.

The proposed highway access into the development site will be from Sherbourne Avenue off Flass Lane via a priority give way junction, which is considered to provide a ‘safe and appropriate’ means of access for the development.

This planning application is currently under public consultation.