Plans for a £24.8 million flagship 800-home development in Barrow are set to take a step forward next week.
A business case for the Marina Village scheme has been approved by Homes England to finance the final preparations and councillors will decide on Tuesday whether to accept the funding.
Westmorland and Furness Council cabinet members will meet to discuss the 25-hectare brownfield site, owned by the authority, ready for the development of new homes.
The site, will provide 808 new homes, a nature conservation area and new public open spaces.
The authority said it was a vital part of Barrow’s wider regeneration agenda, creating a vibrant community and providing new housing in the heart of the town near centres of education, major employers and local shops and businesses and changing perceptions of Barrow as a place to live.
Phase one of the development – the remediation of six hectares of land funded by £5.5 million secured from the Government’s Getting Building Fund, administered by Cumbria LEP – was completed in November.
With the additional funding, infrastructure work will be able to start to allow the site to be developed, which will include affordable housing.
A report set to go before cabinet will recommend that members agree that the council negotiate, finalise and enter into the grant funding agreement with Homes England for the value of £24.8m to support with the remediation and other infrastructure works needed for phase two of the site.
The site will be capable of delivering a mix of housing types to include apartments as well as traditional housing, and both open market and affordable housing. The proposed design principles for the development take into account the historic environment, landscape, sustainable drainage, public realm, energy and infrastructure, as well as climate and environmental risks.
Members will also be asked to support the development of a supplementary planning document and delivery strategy.
Public consultation would take place on the draft document over six weeks.
