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Castles & Coasts Housing Association (CCHA) has submitted a new planning application to Cumberland Council for the delivery of much-needed affordable homes on land to the east of Lansdowne Close/Lansdowne Court, in the Stanwix area to the north of Carlisle.

Dawn Clark, Chief Executive at CCHA said:

“At CCHA, we are committed to providing safe, quality, affordable homes. This is a community that has a demonstrable need for new affordable homes. We are keen to work with local communities and other stakeholders to ensure that we deliver the homes people need, in areas they need them the most.”

Following the initial application, CCHA has listened carefully to feedback from both the local community and the council. A comprehensive consultation process was carried out to understand and address the concerns raised. Since the previous submission, all reasons for refusal have been either fully removed or effectively mitigated through a range of design, technical, and environmental improvements.
The revised scheme maintains CCHA’s commitment to delivering high quality, sustainable, and affordable homes that meet local housing needs while respecting the character of the surrounding area.

CCHA’s Head of Development, David Brown, said:

“We are grateful to everyone who took the time to share their views during the consultation. Their feedback has been invaluable in shaping this improved proposal. We are confident that our revised plans address all previous concerns and demonstrate the clear benefits to the community. We look forward to continuing to work positively with Cumberland Council to ensure that these much-needed affordable homes can be delivered as soon as possible.”

 
CCHA considered all feedback received regarding the previous proposals, resulting in a careful redesign of the scheme to address the issues noted by Cumberland Council’s Planning Committee. The key changes presented in the new application are summarised below:
  • Removal of any development within root protection areas of trees with a potential ‘veteran’ status.
  • Removal of any development within the Hadrian’s Wall buffer zone.
  • House sizes increased to meet the Government’s nationally described space standard.
The revised development will provide 91 high quality, affordable homes for the community through a mixture of 2-bedroom bungalows and 2, 3, and 4-bedroom houses.

Andrew Wilkinson, CCHA’s Land & Acquisition Manager said:

“There is an acute need for new affordable housing in Carlisle and across Cumberland, evidenced by applications on the Cumbria Choice Based Lettings system exceeding 1,000 applicants for Carlisle alone. Increasing the availability of affordable housing options is identified as a key priority in Cumberland Council’s new draft 15-year Housing Strategy. With overall housing targets recently increasing by close to 400%, Cumberland has an ambitious target of delivering 676 new affordable homes each year.

Andrew continued: “We are proud to be working with local stakeholders to support these priorities through the delivery of new housing developments that provide 100% affordable housing. This scheme will provide an important contribution to help meet some of this need by providing a mixture of affordable/social rent, Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership homes.”

The site is located in an area with a range of local amenities in close proximity including, primary schools, nurseries, local shops, restaurants and supermarkets as well as easy access to both the M6 and city centre in what is expected to prove a hugely popular development that brings much needed affordable housing to the area.
The proposed development represents an important step in supporting local housing priorities and providing opportunities for those in need of affordable accommodation within Carlisle.