A college campus is seeking permission to apply new security measures in a bid to ward off 'major problems with young people'.

Kendal College Arts and Media campus is the subject of a planning application to install new wire-mesh security fencing at its base on Wildman Street, adjacent to Castle Dairy, one of Kendal's oldest continuously inhabited buildings.

The college outlined their reasons for seeking the measure in the planning application to South Lakeland District Council: "The college has major problems with young people who use the area of the courtyard and open covered verandas of the studios for socialising and carrying out unacceptable behaviour in the evenings and weekends. 

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"The college has tried to address this issue by employing security guards to monitor the area but this has not proved to be successful. 

"While causing issues to the building users of the college it also caused disturbance to the numerous residential properties which are directly adjacent to this area.

"The college is proposing to install security fencing to the courtyard area with gated access. 

"During the day and whilst the building are in operation the gates will be left open and locked when the buildings are not occupied.

"The proposed security fencing will reduce the damage caused to the building and reduce the disturbance caused to the local residents.

"The mesh style fencing has been chosen and anthracite grey will be the colour in an attempt to minimalize the impact on the environment it will be located in. 

Wildman Street lies within the Kendal Conservation Area, also containing the Grade II listed Sleddale Hall Antiques Centre, and is thought to be an early town extension to the northeast of the medieval Stramongate Bridge river crossing, possibly dating back to the 1500s.

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The application concludes with an assessment of the proposal: "The proposed fencing will be set back from the main street and contained within the courtyard area. 

"Whilst it will be possible to see the fencing from the street scene it will not have a prominent effect on the view.

"The nature of these impacts has been assessed in terms of the siting, material, and scale of the fence and its effects on the public realm, views, and street scene.

"In conclusion, it is considered that the development will have minor impacts on the heritage assets and the conservation area."

The application is currently being scrutinised by SLDC planning officers.