Lake District National Park Planning Authority-Written Evidence (NTP0073)

And…please don’t forget villages in the desire to create new sustainable communities!

With over 6,000 villages and small communities in the UK, villages offer a significant opportunity to grow the housing stock, create more sustainable and connected places and alleviate some of the more negative experiences of living in rural, sparsely populated areas.

People living in villages often suffer from higher than national averages of fuel poverty, poor access to services with villagers usually travelling longer distances to education, essential services and for work, usually dependent on the private car. Such challenges combine to make living rurally increasingly difficult, evidenced by the demise of these once iconic British conurbations.

In 2010 we in Bootle, Cumbria faced all these challenges and more, but undeterred, as a group of community activists we sought to challenge the status quo, created our own masterplan for Bootle2020 with an associated action plan and approached what we considered the main instigator of the historic demise, the planners. We asked them to do things differently, and to work with us so that we could secure housing developer interest.

We found that the main barrier to development was the current national planning system – if not actually prohibitive, it is perceived as almost impossible. This is where the LDNP took a different approach. They granted detailed planning permission via a 7-page set of design codes. This means that all 45 plots at Wellbank (a 12.5 acre former MoD base) now have detailed planning consents, despite no house designs ever being approved by the planners.

To our knowledge this was a departure from their existing policy, and had never been done before, but was supported by evidenced need and the unique collaboration between our community and the authority, resulting in speed and certainty - swifter build times, individual designs, far superior build quality and higher environmental standards in the fnished homes.

We are grateful that the LDNP took this novel, bold and hugely refreshing attitude to planning which has not just saved the school and seen new businesses open, but has gone even further and enabled an exciting new vision; 45 homes – all embracing at least 30% renewable energy and super insulated, efficient construction. Along with 8 holiday rentals, business units, a swimming pool and spa, café/restaurant, award winning sustainable landscaping incorporating Sustainable Urban Drainage with swales, pools and ponds.

Through the power of community planning, with the guiding principles of the Sir John Egan wheel of Sustainable Communities, seed-supported by funded agencies to facilitate early master planning, we in Bootle have successfully attracted private investment in excess of £20m, growing the existing housing stock of 325 homes by a further 45 homes, requiring no Government funding and in addition to the initial 12.5 acres, we have now purchased a further 40 acres of marginal farmland to create more habitat for nature, open to the public.

All thanks to the nervous willingness of our planning authority’s support and flexibility.

Based on our experience and recent evaluation with the LDNP senior leadership, we would therefore suggest this approach be taken wherever possible to speed up, create certainty, inject private investment and reduce the bottle necks within the planning system. We would be delighted to provide the 7-page design code or any further information, or host a visit should this be of any interest. Further details can be found at www.wellbankpark.co.uk

22 May 2025