Story readies plans for 117 Cumbria homes

Zeroing in on 12.5 acres of agricultural land off Cross Croft in Appleby-in-Westmorland, the housebuilder has lodged an application to construct a new neighbourhood.

The site in question is currently fields but is allocated for residential development in Westmorland and Furness Council’s local plan for the Eden district.

The project would comprise 117 homes, of which none would be set aside as affordable. According to the local plan, there should be 35 affordable homes included, but viability issues have led this to not be the case.

One of the cost-related challenges facing the application concerns nutrient neutrality. The project sits within the River Eden Special Area of Conservation, which means that Story Homes must demonstrate that neighbourhood’s construction would not impact the river’s water pollution levels.

To mitigate this issue, Story has secured an agreement with a landowner at Noth Stainmore who will fallow their land for a specific time period to neutralise any impact the housing project would have on the river.

Of the 117 homes, there would be two two-bed bungalows and five two-bed semi-detached and terrace homes. The designs include 39 three-bedroom, semi-detached houses as well as eight five-bed and five six-bed detached homes. A majority of the homes – that is to say 58 – will be four-bedroom residences.

Story Homes stressed that the many of the homes that would be built would be from its ‘Story Collection’ range, which are designed to be more sustainable by boasting solar panels, EV charging points, and energy efficient applicants.

Paul Fenton, land manger at Story Homes said: “We are very pleased to have submitted our plans to deliver up to 117 new homes in Appleby-in-Westmorland. We had hoped to submit our application much sooner, but our proposals have been significantly affected by the matter of nutrient neutrality.”

He added later: ““Appleby is an attractive market town on the edge of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Beauty with excellent transport connections. Our development will deliver energy efficient homes, and enhance the vitality of the town, creating employment opportunities for local subcontractors and the supply chain.”

Story Homes’ project team includes engineer CK21, ecologist and arboriculture consultant Urban Green, and transport expert SLR. RS Acoustic Engineering, ID GeoEnvironmental, Eden Heritage, and Westwood Landcape are also on the project team.

You can learn more about the application by searching 23/0744 on Westmorland and Furness’s Eden planning portal.