Moves to create further shopping space in Kendal have surfaced in the same week that a £35 million proposal for a factory outlet at K Village was given the go ahead.

Plans for another potential retail development have been mooted by local developer Russell Armer, which hopes land off Beezon Road could be earmarked for a future retail space.

The proposal has not been formally submitted as a planning application but, in a letter to South Lakeland District Council planners, Russell Armer managing director Martyn Nicholson lodged an objection to the K Village scheme and made a case for a factory outlet off Beezon Road.

He claimed the former bonded warehouse near Sandes Avenue was more suitable for development on the grounds of proximity to the town centre.

SLDC development control manager Peter Ridgway said he did not consider the site appropriate for the scale of development proposed at K Village but said there was still scope within the limits of the local plan for a further retail development in Kendal.

Mr Nicholson told The Westmorland Gazette, despite the K Village plans, the proposed retail outlet on Beezon Road was still on the cards.

"We have been working on the scheme for over a year - we think the building would be ideal for a factory outlet," he said, but added he would be taking further advice from consultants.

Meanwhile, a factory outlet development at K Village, put forward by the Edinburgh-based Guinea Group, won the backing of SLDC planners at a meeting on Tuesday, which saw traders and residents filling the chamber of the town hall.

The K Village plan was approved - subject to further negotiations between the developers and planners amid claims that the new retail space would create 300 much-needed jobs for the town following a series of redundancies at both K Shoes and Scottish Provident.

Town planners also hope the 42-shop development could offset the "northward drift" of Kendal's commercial centre and help boost Kirkland.

However, residents and town centre traders have expressed fears that the 7,570 sq metre scheme could sound the death knell for the town.

Michael Birchhall, a shareholder of Ethel Austin Properties, which was set up to buy the Westmorland Shopping Centre, opposed the plan.

"This application must be refused.

Please do not kill Kendal town centre," he said.

Mr Birchhall pointed out there were currently 31 units in the town centre ready for lease - ten of them in the Westmorland Shopping Centre and Elephant Yard.

He said the development also had potential to detract investment from the town centre.

"This scheme will be a disaster for residents and the town," he said.

SLDC has received a total of 241 letters of objection to the K Village plans.

Local objection included fears about increased traffic volume, inadequate parking provision, over-development of a residential area and the site's close proximity to Kirkbie Kendal School.

A number of residents from the Lound Road area spoke against the development at the meeting.

Pam Flitcroft, of Lound Road, branded the design "a pseudo medieval monstrosity".

She said the jobs offered in retail units were unlikely to be the type former Scottish Provident or K Shoes workers were looking for.

"Kendal needs high quality not high quantity employment," she said, adding: "Kendal itself won't benefit from it - the only beneficiaries will be the Guinea Group."

Fellow resident Kath Postlethwaite cast doubt over developers' claims that some shoppers would also visit the town centre.

"People tend to use retail outlets as a one-stop experience," she said.

SLDC development control manager Peter Ridgway highlighted a number of positive aspects built into the project including:

l Visual improvements to Kendal's southern entrance.

l £100,000 for a public art project - both on site, along the river and potentially extending into Kirkland.

l Improvements to the memorial garden to create a quieter enclosure.

l Developments to the pedestrian route along the river.

Coun Brendan Jameson said, on balance, the plan was an exciting opportunity.

"It is part of the future of this town and we have to grasp it," he said.

Following the meeting, Guinea Group managing director John Drummond told The Westmorland Gazette: "I am very, very pleased with the decision.

This is an opportunity to go forward.

I am particularly excited at the prospect of working together to promote Kirkland.

I am confident we will be able to work with planners to address the concerns that have been expressed."