Reworked plans to modernise a filling station south of Kendal are set to be considered by council planners today.

An application for the Prizet Filling Station at Helsington south of Kendal will be put before South Lakeland District Council's planning committee at 10am, with plans including electric vehicle charging points and a drive-thru Costa Coffee.

The proposals are the latest to be put forward for the site after an earlier application was rejected at the same location on the A591, when a larger design with 44 parking spaces was proposed.

The new layout has scaled back to 31 parking spaces.

Friends of the Lake District have objected to the latest application on the grounds that “the proposal plan conflicts with the declaration of climate emergency made by SLDC."

They said: “It will encourage people to drive to the site and will help to perpetuate the culture of car-based travel and lifestyles.”

The pressure group also objects argued that "up and down the country there are now hundreds of drive-thru coffee restaurants; this should not be used to justify another.”

Helsington parish council supported the planning application of the filling station, following the removal of offices from the original scheme.

Cumbria County Council's highways department recommended that planning permission be given as long as suitable drainage could be built in and that the buildings were sturdy enough with a 100-year design life in them.

The applicant stated the development would provide about 15 new jobs, which were likely to be filled by people from the local area.