A DECISION on a housing scheme in an area which is already earmarked for hundreds of homes has been pushed back.

A resubmitted application put forward by John Swift Homes Ltd to build 23 new houses on land at Harras Road in Whitehaven, was due to go before Cumberland Council’s planning committee last week.

But councillors agreed that consideration of the application should be deferred to allow for a site visit.

Copeland Council refused the previous scheme against their own officers’ recommendation.

The application is one of a number of developments planned for Harras Moor after Homes England won a Government appeal against Copeland Council’s decision to refuse its plans to build 370 houses.

Councillors are recommended to approve planning permission, subject to a number of conditions.

Graham Roberts, who represents the Harras ward on Whitehaven Town Council, was due to speak in objection to the scheme.

He said: “Yet again the matter has been put back again because of the site visit.

“The fact of the matter is, why should the development go through now when there’s no new facts. No planning gain. There’s nothing they can do to mitigate traffic.”

The proposed development includes four two-bedroom, nine three-bedroom and 10 four-bedroom properties. There will be a total of 58 parking spaces provided.

Access will be from Harras Road using four separate openings into the site. Three of the new entrance points will serve private cul de sacs.

A two-metre wide footway will be provided with proposed crossing points to the opposite side of Harras Road. Traffic calming measures including a chicane layout within the highway on Harras Road are proposed as part of the development.

A total of 30 letters of objection have been received which have raised concerns over traffic, drainage, the condition of Harras Road and the cumulative effect of other applications.

Whitehaven Town Council has supported the residents in their objections and the ward councillor has also written a separate letter of objection.

However, a report prepared for the planning committee has concluded that the proposed development “will not result in an unacceptable impact on highway safety” and the cumulative impacts on the road network “would not be severe”.

It goes on to say that the scheme would “assist in boosting housing supply” and concludes that development of the site is “considered to be acceptable”.