Approval recommended for Cumbrian housing scheme on former weapons site

Planning officers have recommended approval of a key multimillion-pound housing scheme and country park on a former Cumbrian weapons site.Allerdale Borough Council will consider the proposal next week for the eco-based scheme which would be the first phase of the Derwent Forest project, involving more than 1,000 acres of the former Broughton Moor arms depot.The site, between Cockermouth and Workington, has been closed to the public for more than 80 years.The arms depot was opened in 1939 on the site of Buckhill Colliery. In 1944 the site was expanded from 800 to 1,050 acres.The depot was used by the MOD until 1963 before being leased to the West German government. From 1977 it was used by the US Navy for the storage of armaments for its North Atlantic Squadron. From 1981 Broughton Moor was formally adopted as a NATO storage site.The site was decommissioned at the end of the cold war, finally closing on December 31, 1992. More than 130 magazine buildings remain on site.Developers aim to spend millions of pounds to remove the military fencing surrounding the site and in creating new cycle ways, paths, parkland and woodland.Land polluted by the former military activities will be cleaned up to ‘exacting’ government standards and old mine shafts capped off and made safe. Further investment in the site’s bio-diversity is also planned.Amongst the facilities promised for this next stage of the project are:A new village greenA 2.5km path and cycle way linked to the coast-to-coast route and National Route 7115,000 new trees in a new 13-acre woodland to promote carbon captureA 1km woodland walkWatercourse improvements to the historic Flammiggs GillA new multi-purpose visitor centreA new purpose-built early years facility at the nearby Broughton AcademyThe homes offer high standards of sustainable design, says Mr Catterson. Independent traffic surveys show that only minor works will be required to the local road network and these have been agreed with the highway authority. Construction traffic will be routed through the site to avoid Great Broughton.More than 3,000 tonnes of contaminated waste will be removed during the initial phase of works, with proposals agreed with planners for the ongoing woodland and countryside management of the remainder of the estate.Proposed village greenThe houses will have very high standards of thermal efficiency and incorporate the latest energy-saving technologies. An electric vehicle charging network will be provided with each home.The scheme’s wider masterplan includes scope for additional settlements, plus investment in new visitor attractions and amenities. Detailed planning permission would be sought for those aspects of the project at a future date, said Mr Catterson.Advisors on the scheme include architects Atelier 2 and global environmental engineers Tetra Tech. Development finance is being provided by Liverpool-based property funders Tower Grange Finance.Allerdale Borough Council’s planning committee is due to hear the application on February 15.