Five families have been given the green light to transform a site into a cohousing community – but on a smaller scale than they had hoped.

Permission has been granted by South Lakeland District Council’s planning committee for the redevelopment of land at Holme House Farm, at Skelsmergh near Kendal.

Councillors considered an application for the demolition of all existing structures on the site and their replacement with five detached dwellings, together with one or more ‘shared-use’ buildings.

Tim Moss, who represented the five families at the South Lakeland District Council (SDLC) planning committee, said: “Five families have come together to build on this land at Holme House Farm but the condition for the size of the buildings is too restrictive for the families to realise the full eco-living potential and we feel it’s not justified to build smaller.

“This is supposed to be a flagship eco community to improve quality of life and allow futureproof multi-generation homes with room for home working.

“We are applying for this cohousing community to be built for five families who have lived in the local area for years.

“This can be a special site, but it needs to be a bigger floorspace for each house.”

The developers argued that more space would reduce shopping trips and bring the farm site back into use in a positive way, but said they needed to have 270 square metres of space per home.

Andrew Martin, the council’s principal planning officer, said: “Despite 33 letters of support, and evidence of co-existing with wildlife, limiting cars and multi-generation housing, I still believe I have already been generous about floor space.

“I think floor space limit is reasonable; 480 square metres could be divided into a number of buildings.

“If applicants want co-housing for the site this should be acceptable by them as it’s very generous.

“If the five families later abandon this eco project for whatever reason and five new families move in that may not be eco-minded, then they will get five big five-bed houses with nothing given back to eco living.

“Will this fit with the climate emergency we have supported? I don’t think so.”

Councillors voted to approve the application but with amendments including smaller floor space.