AN APPLICATION for a 'crucial' extension to a veterinary practice in Windermere has been submitted to the Lake District National Park Authority.

Planning documents say the work at Oakhill Vets in Lake Road is necessary for the 'continued growth and prosperity of the business' and that the site 'has now surpassed current capacity and demand'.

The extension would feature a consulting room, an operating theatre and storage space. 

A timber-clad cabin, which houses a waterproof treadmill and other equipment for animal rehabilitation, sits to the rear of the main building. The plan would see the cabin extended to fill the gap between itself and the main building. 

A planning statement, submitted by EN Architecture and Design in support of the application, says the proposed extension would be 'in the same style' as the existing cabin 'with almost no appreciable junction between the existing and the new'.

"The construction will be a relatively straightforward timber-framed affair and a brief construction period will create minimal disturbance to the running of the practice or the wider neighbourhood," says the statement. 

The statement acknowledges that Oakhill is located in the Windermere Conservation Area.

It says the main building 'could well be considered a heritage asset due to its location, size and traditional features' but stresses that the proposed development would have 'minimal impact on the heritage value of the building or the wider conservation area'.

"The building is a single storey and is of an appropriately subservient scale to the existing buildings. It will nestle nicely into the existing space," says the statement. 

"It is located right at the rear of the property and is largely screened from the public highway by the existing buildings."

As the style of the extension would be 'perfectly in keeping with the existing rehabilitation centre cabin', says the statement, it would not be 'fresh or overbearing development'.

It says that the extension would not overlook any other property or public space and would not 'affect the main, historic portion of the original building in any way'.

The application has been submitted by Matthew Stables, of Oakhill Veterinary Group.