Plans put before the public

2:39pm Tuesday 22nd April 2008

TWO key development strategies have gone out to public consultation in South Lakeland.

Plans to expand key settlements and provide thousands of new homes and jobs by 2025 are going on display around the district over the next six weeks.

And in Kendal, they will be accompanied by a display relating to the proposed regeneration of the Canal Head area.

South Lakeland District Council kicks off the consultation with displays on both strategies at South Lakeland House until May 9.

SLDC says Kendal, Ulverston, Grange-over-Sands, Milnthorpe and Kirkby Lonsdale will need to grow beyond their existing boundaries if a sustainable future for their populations is to be achieved.

It says South Lakes will need to find the equivalent of around 347 Wembley football pitches in land over the next 17 years if it is to meet future housing and employment needs.

A report approved by the authority suggests 40 per cent of all the new development should be in Kendal, with 20 per cent in Ulverston, eight per cent each in Grange and Milnthorpe, and four per cent in Kirkby Lonsdale.

Meanwhile, Kendal's Canal Head project, if approved, would see the relocation of hydroelectric turbine maker Gilbert Gilkes and Gordon to an out-of-town location and its site replaced with a potential mix of office, retail and leisure development.

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