MULTI-million pound plans for road improvements in south Cumbria have moved a step closer.

The Government's Local Growth Fund has allocated £2m for work on the A591 at Brockhole and at Grasmere, as well as for changes to parking on the Glebe in Bowness.

And £4.5m has been given for junction improvements to help unlock future development on the A590 at Ulverston.

At a meeting at Kendal County Hall members of Cumbria County Council's South Lakeland local committee agreed for statutory advertisement and consultation to go ahead.

The work in the Lake District, called Optimising Connectivity, will see:

l Fifty six echelon (diagonal) parking places running from Braithwaite Fold to the Glebe car park

l Nine parallel parking places running from the junction with Rectory Road, Bowness, to 60 metres west of the junction

l The removal of the bus stop on Glebe Road at the entrance to the cemetery

l The relocation of the north bound bus stop at Town End, Grasmere, 50 metres further north

Planning permission for work on the Glebe was granted in August 2015.

South Lakeland District Council has allocated £225,000 for foreshore improvements adjacent to the popular tourist spot.

Claire Maclaine, project lead for capital projects at the county council, said there will be an overall reduction in five spaces.

She told the meeting work will be split into two phases with the first - the echelon parking - to begin in January.

This will mean a small increase in available parking spots over the summer.

The second phase will begin in the Autumn and will make it easier for pedestrians crossing the road.

Cllr Stan Collins raised concerns about the public's perception of removing parking spaces when the second phase begins.

"I can see when you come back for the second phase there is going to be some upset with a lot of people saying we are taking the parking away and end up with another big public row which could be avoided if we do this in one phase," he said.

But Mrs Maclaine said United Utilities has to do some work on the Glebe so the work had to be fit around its timetable.

The Ulverston project will see junction improvements on the A590 at North Lonsdale Terrace and Quebec Street as well as the construction of a new junction on the A590 at Daltongate.

The schemes must be completed by March 31 2017.