Carlisle plots further details of St Cuthbert’s
A masterplan for the development of a 10,000-home ‘garden village’ south of Carlisle in Cumbria is nearing completion as the penultimate stage of consultation opens today.
The second consultation on St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, which runs from today until 22 December, is intended to gather responses from the public on a draft ‘strategic design supplementary planning document’ for the proposed development.
St Cuthbert’s is one of 14 Garden Villages proposed across the country. Under the plans, a total of 10,325 homes would be built on the site over the next 30 years, to support local population growth and provide opportunities for community and economic development.
The £144m mixed-use community is being funded with £102m from government agency Homes England, as well as contributions of £5m each Cumbria County Council and Carlisle City Council. The remainder is to come from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
A report to Cumbria County Council’s cabinet in July said: “St Cuthbert’s Garden Village is the single most important project for Cumbria, due to its ability to support growth in the local population and thereby contribute to reversing the declining working age population.”
In August, the council launched a search for a contractor to design and build the Carlisle Southern Link Road, a key piece of infrastructure intended to help unlock delivery of St Cuthbert’s Garden Village.
The council is also seeking approval to acquire land to progress the road project through a compulsory purchase order. Work on the link road is scheduled to start in 2022.
The St Cuthbert’s Strategic Design Supplementary Planning document is intended to inform planning negotiations and decisions and ensure that high-quality design is at the heart of all new developments that would form the garden village.
Cllr Paul Nedved, portfolio holder for economy, enterprise and housing, at Carlisle City Council, which is leading the consultation, said: “Public consultation is key to the development of St Cuthbert’s Garden Village.
“Community involvement has helped shape the plans so far and we encourage you to find out more and take part in this stage of consultation.”
Last autumn, the city council consulted on three ‘options’ for the new communities, in adherence with its local plan.
The adopted Carlisle District Local Plan 2015 – 2030 identifies a broad location for growth of a major mixed-use development – originally named Carlisle South – providing up to 10,000 new homes south of the city.
The project team for the masterplan includes consultancies Hive Planning and Arup, while Hyas Associates advised Carlisle City Council on its supplementary planning guidance.
There will be a further round of public consultation next spring, the council said.
