Windermere Gateway funds released early as project progresses

Westmorland and Furness Council has agreed to release up to £850,000 of Homes England grant funding early to appoint a ‘principal designer’ of the Windermere Gateway project.

The decision to release the funds earlier than planned comes prior to a mutual agreement with developers Urban Splash.

The project will unlock opportunities for a mix of new homes, jobs and sustainable transport connections.

Cabinet met in Kendal Town Hall on November 11 to approve the decision.

Cllr Judith Derbyshire said the decision to release funds early, and the scheme as a whole, ‘aligns fully with our council priorities’ of supporting local people, its climate ambitions, ‘strengthening communities’ and contributing to the area’s economy and culture.

She added: “The project is about delivering real benefits to local people.”

Deputy leader Andrew Jarvis said there was a ‘real need for affordable housing within the national park’.

The Cabinet Voting On The Decision (Image: Kieran Molloy)

According to the Westmorland and Furness Council website, the Windermere Gateway project is a ‘partnership project that we are involved in along with different landowners and stakeholders including; Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA), Network Rail, Windermere Town Council, the National Trust and their development partner, Urban Splash, as well as key landowners/local businesses.’

After the meeting, Cllr Dyan Jones, who represents Windermere and Ambleside, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m pleased to see the gateway project progressing.

“It’s a complex matter, we aren’t the landowners, we aren’t the planning authority.

“We do want to see, as a town, the benefit of houses for locals.

“There is a need for affordable housing for people who live and work in Windermere.”

According to the councillor, the current number of affordable homes in the project is ‘okay’ at 133 but she would like to see more as well as avoiding housing stock becoming ‘empty shells for second homeowners’.

The councillor continued: “We’ve got a hospitality industry that’s screaming out for staff.

“A lot of those people are on housing waiting lists, so this would be a great solution.”

She said she would like the major partners in the project to think about the ways that more affordable housing could be built and ‘really define’ what they mean by affordable to local residents who are ‘concerned they are being overlooked’.