Local property firm PFK has submitted plans for a second new office development on the outskirts of Penrith, as construction begins on a new access road at another site the firm has previously got approved for a new office block close by on Mile Lane.
The company, has now applied to Westmorland and Furness Council for a further development comprising 686 square metres of office floor space. According to the application, the new building would provide workspace for around 26 employees, complete with circulation areas, meeting rooms, storage, and staff facilities.
The new application includes proposals to demolish a former residential bungalow at PFK’s Penrith Auction Mart site to build the new two storey office building. The bungalow proposed for demolition to make way for the new office block was previously used as a caretaker’s house and sits next to another building currently occupied by National Highways as an office.
The new office space has been designed specifically for the needs of the firms PFK Rural side of the business, with internal layouts tailored to the operational needs of the business.
However, Penrith Town Council has formally objected to the proposals, raising concerns about the visual impact of the development. In its response, the town council stated that "the development is not sympathetic visually" and called for the inclusion of porous car parking, soft landscaping, and appropriate visual shielding. The council also cited drainage concerns related to the proposed works.
The town council recently supported another proposal to convert Skirsgill Lodge — another former residential bungalow located just a short distance away across the A66 into office space from the current residential property.
Local group Evolve Penrith has also raised concerns to the auction mart office plans. The group expressed concerns about increased traffic using the auction site access junction onto the A66 directly on the approach to J40 and described the emergence of an “unplanned industrial estate” in the area taking place that was outside the areas identified in the current local plan. Evolve Penrith said that with three substantial developments already underway nearby on Mile Lane that will see a substantial increase in traffic existing from Mile Lane onto the A66 at a nearby junction to the auction mart site, the group says the area risks becoming overburdened without a coherent plan that also addresses infrastructure needs.
Evolve Penrith is calling for a comprehensive masterplan for Penrith to guide development around Penrith, warning that the area is being transformed through a series of ad hoc residential and commercial schemes with no joined-up strategy and a lack of wider infrastructure to support and connect the developments and the town. A spokesperson for Evolve Penrith said: “this lack of a clear plan for Penrith and the ad hoc development is resulting in growing damaging impact on the town and its infrastructure that is unfortunately negatively impacting the town and its long-term future.”
The plans for the proposed two storey office block can be viewed at: https://planningregister.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/Planning/Display/2025/0913/FPA
Then select "Add to Home Screen"
