Residents To Finally Get Their Say on New Local Plan That Could See PENRITH TRIPLE IN SIZE and Swallow Up Surrounding Villages

Thousands of acres of land around Penrith and surrounding villages have been put forward for potential development, raising the prospect of the historic market town and the rural communities around it becoming almost unrecognisable over the next 15 years.

Now, after more than a year of landowners, developers and other organisations putting forward land through the council's Call for Sites process for housing, commercial and industrial developments, waste landfill sites and quarrying, residents will finally have their chance to influence what happens next as Westmorland and Furness Council launches its long-awaited Local Plan Scoping Consultation on Wednesday, 1st July.

The consultation, which runs until 11th August, marks the first formal stage in preparing a single Local Plan for Westmorland and Furness, replacing the former Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow Local Plans. The new plan will determine where homes, businesses, employment land, roads, schools, healthcare facilities and community infrastructure are built across the district until at least the early 2040s.

For Penrith, however, the debate is already intensifying.

Landowners have put forward thousands of acres of land in and around Penrith and neighbouring villages through the council's Call for Sites process. While putting forward land does not mean it will be allocated for development, the sheer scale of the submissions has fuelled concerns that, if a significant number of sites are eventually included in the new Local Plan, Penrith could treble in size, with the town expanding towards neighbouring villages and across large areas of agricultural land.

The proposals submitted include land for major housing developments, commercial and industrial estates, new waste landfill sites, quarrying and mineral extraction, together with entirely new communities around the town, leading many residents to question how dramatically the area could change over the next decade and a half.

The council has stressed that no decisions have yet been made on which of the proposed sites will eventually be allocated in the Local Plan. This first consultation is instead asking residents what the plan should prioritise, the challenges it should address and how communities want to be involved as it is prepared. A further Call for Sites is running alongside the consultation, with detailed consultation on individual site allocations expected later in the Local Plan process.

The new Westmorland and Furness Local Plan is being prepared against the backdrop of significantly increased Government housing targets, meaning the council must identify enough land to meet future housing needs while balancing environmental protection, infrastructure capacity and sustainable growth.

Residents will be asked for their views on housing, transport, the economy, climate, health, communities and the future of towns and villages across Westmorland and Furness, with the feedback helping to shape the vision and priorities for the new planning blueprint.

Planning officers from Westmorland and Furness Council will be attending events across the district during the consultation, including The Great Penrith Picnic at Castle Park on Saturday, 4th July, and the Penrith Street Food Festival in Great Dockray on Saturday, 25th July, where residents can speak to the planning team, ask questions and complete the consultation survey.

The consultation closes on 11th August 2026, with further rounds of public consultation to follow before the Local Plan is expected to be adopted in Spring 2029.

The new Westmorland and Furness Local Plan is likely to be the most significant planning consultation affecting Penrith and the surrounding area in a generation. Whether the town grows modestly or undergoes dramatic expansion, bringing surrounding villages ever closer and transforming large areas of countryside, the decisions made over the next few years will shape the future of Penrith and its neighbouring communities for decades to come.

Residents will be able to take part in the consultation from Wednesday, 1st July, until Tuesday, 11th August 2026, online or at events taking place across the district. You can see the current proposed sites for development on the councils online map via https://goto.penrith.town/Development-land-map