Plans for a holiday site in a remote west Cumbrian village have been given the go-ahead, despite objections from locals.

The scheme will transform a woodland area in Drigg into a holiday spot with motorhome bays, holiday cabins, shower block and a shop and office building.

Drigg and Carleton Parish Council had opposed the application, raising concerns over road safety, the risk of flooding and disturbance to wildlife.

But members of Copeland Council’s planning panel voted to approve the plans at a meeting held yesterday.

The holiday site will be created next to Partfield House in the centre of the village, and will provide eight motorhome bays and eight timber cabins with their own power supply.

Access to the site will be from a single entrance off the B5344 and the development will have a single access road.

In its objection to the plans, the parish council said the development was 'not sensitive to its surroundings', with residential properties and farm buildings to the side and front, which could be 'severely impacted' by increased light, noise and traffic movement.

Councillors said the dual entrance and exit arrangements gave concern for pedestrian and road safety, given the tight nature of the design, the required turning arrangements for motorhomes and the congestion likely from holiday cabin residents’ own vehicles.

They are also worried about the site being in a part of Drigg which is 'already known to be susceptible to local flooding', and have received concerns about disturbance to wildlife.

A total of 32 objections were received from residents, who feared it would 'ruin the atmosphere of the small village'.

The application, put forward by Mr C Usher, had originally been submitted in June last year but was later withdrawn, before being resubmitted again this year.

A statement by Copeland Council’s tourism sector development officer, said there had been a 'significant growth' in motorhome visits to Cumbria during 2020.

However, the officer said that evidence suggested motorhome owners were largely choosing the south and central Lakes to visit and the application will present an opportunity for Copeland to grow the market.

Copeland Council’s flood and coastal defence engineer considered the site as 'low risk' for flooding.