CARNFORTH has been 'bypassed' and businesses are struggling to grow due to a lack of designated development space, a leading planning and design consultancy partner has said.

Planning and design practice Barton Willmore, which has offices around the country, has been looking for land in the town to build a new Porsche centre on behalf of Kendal's Parker & Parker, based at Longpool, but has not been able to identify a suitable site.

"There is nothing available in the town (Carnforth) hence our client is advancing proposals adjacent to the motorway," Mr Mitchell said. "There are only 38 Porsche centres in the UK and Ireland so a new Porsche centre would raise the profile of Carnforth.

"That location is helping them serve the whole of the north of England. We saw it as a fantastic opportunity to put Carnforth on the map.

"The town has been bypassed for a number of years and this (Porsche centre) is something that could really change the profile."

Barton Willmore planning partner Dan Mitchell believes that a lack of land identified for development work by Lancaster City Council in its draft local plan is stifling economic growth.

“Carnforth is a great place to do business," he said. "It benefits from a strategic location and easy access to the M6, yet the new Local Plan does not seek to identify any new land for employers to grow.

"Instead, the new Local Plan favours Morecambe and Lancaster for jobs-led growth. Carnforth risks missing out on job creation and the benefits that this can provide to the local economy. We call upon the city council to recognise the needs of local businesses and help create Carnforth to become a great place to work."

Carnforth's deputy mayor Cllr Bob Roe said that although businesses would like to expand, they have no where to go.

"The city council policy at the moment is turning Carnforth into a dormitory town," he said. "All it is allowing at the moment is housing."

He said that although the bypass had taken traffic out of the town, it had thrown development to White Lund at Morecambe.

"I welcome some of the housing schemes," he said. "But with regard to industrial development I would like to see some land released.

"But we we don't have the infrastructure which will allow it on the iron works site."

Carnforth Chamber of Trade chair Caroline Charnley added that although she was not aware of any small retail shops that wanted to expand, she thought that the number of housing developments planned for Carnforth might increase demand for commercial premises.

"The chamber itself is really happy about the Porsche development," she said. "We are really excited about. it. It will get Carnforth noticed straight on the motorway."

Lancaster City Council has published its strategic policies and land allocations development plan document and development management document and has invited representations. The period for making representations closes at 5pm on April 6.