Residents have raised concerns over a Penrith housing development with the Leader of Westmorland and Furness Council over what they believe is a breach of planning by making the development site higher than the approved planning heights.
Residents neighbouring the Saddleback View development located between the A6 and Westcoast Mainline to the North of Penrith have seen the fields at the back of their properties becomes a building site and have faced issues of noise, dust and flooding over the past 4 years since work started on the development.
They have now seen the ground levels rise substantially placing the new ground levels substantially higher than the natural ground levels in some cases the ground is now level with their first floor bedroom windows residents have said.
Residents have in recent weeks grown frustrated with the lack of support and action over their concerns when raised with local councillors and the local planning officers forcing them contact directly the leader of Westmorland and Furness Council that has now resulted in the councils planning department taking action to investigate the potential breaches of planning control on the development with planning approved to build 220 houses.
The developer for Saddleback View submitted plans in March to change the approved plans that included new proposed site levels.
The application was refused by Westmorland and Furness Council in April when the council also warned the developer that work being undertaken on site should comply with the plans and details approved until such time that any amendments have been formally agreed with the Local Planning Authority.
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said: "The council has been made aware of allegations of potential breaches of planning control at this construction site.”
"As part of our investigations, it has been necessary to undertake detailed surveys of ground levels within the site. This work is ongoing and when it has been concluded the council as planning authority will take a view on whether or not a breach has taken place."
A local resident who’s property is overlooked by the site described the properties now under construction on the raised ground as "overbearing" and claimed it will block sunlight in their gardens said "This development is been built in breach of the planning application they have approval on. They are being built too high”.
Unapproved changes to site levels is an issue the developer has faced in 2023 when it built 125 homes on land at Cheadle, in Staffordshire, and raised the ground level of the estate by 2.4 metres to make the site flat.
The areas local planning authority's lawyers warned the homes could have "zero value" on the open market as they were sold without proper planning permission and unless retrospective planning could be approved the properties faced been demolish due to the increase site levels without planning approval.
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