Town Council Object to plans for a Self-Build house in Eamont Bridge

Plans for a new self-build home on Skirsgill Lane in Eamont Bridge, have been met with opposition from Penrith Town Council and some local residents who have lodged objections to the plans for a single house.

The application for a “Self build”  two-storey house built using traditional materials to match neighbouring properties, by Penrith-based Atkinson Homes has received objections from the town council who recently objected to another application to build a single property by Atkinson Homes on Beacon Edge.

A previous attempt to gain planning on the Eamont Bridge site was turned down and dismissed on appeal after a planning inspector ruled it failed the required flood risk test. While the inspector accepted the house itself could be made safe, permission was refused.

Since then, the agent for the applicant has said “planning circumstances have changed”.  They claim that Westmorland and Furness Council is unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, meaning national rules now give greater weight to new housing applications. Similar cases elsewhere have shown that failing the flood risk test does not always prevent approval if developments can be proven safe.

Despite this, Penrith Town Council has lodged a formal objection claiming the scheme breaches national planning guidance, warning that the site lies in an area of high flood risk with no safe routes in or out should flooding occur. The town council have said the application should be refused due to these issues.

Five residents of Skirsgill Lane have also objected, pointing to repeated flooding in Eamont Bridge over the last decade. They recall Storm Desmond in 2015, when homes were inundated and the A6 bridge over the River Eamont was badly damaged.

The town council have been consulted on the plans as the site falls within Penrith Town Council’s parish boundary north of the river, while the rest of Eamont Bridge is covered by Eamont and Yanwath Parish Council.

Westmorland and Furness Council planning officers will now decide whether to approve or refuse the plans or if the application will go before the council’s planning committee for consideration.

Full details on the plans can be found via: https://planningregister.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/Planning/Display/2025/1339/FPA and comments can be submitted online via the same link.