Last updated at 13:18, Friday, 22 March 2013

Plans to name a housing development at Cockermouth’s former Sullart Street depot site in honour of the town’s literary past have met with town council opposition.

Washington Estates Ltd, which is behind the 77-home development, wanted to call the site Wordsworth Park, celebrating William Wordsworth.

But town councillors feared it could cause confusion with other nearby streets named after the poet.

In response, the developer suggested Poet’s Walk, Poet’s Corner or Poet’s Park, all retaining the literary theme, or The Sidings.

But the council wanted to celebrate other aspects of the town’s heritage and said The Sidings would be inappropriate as there had never been railway sidings there.

Councillor Julie Laidlow said the name should celebrate somebody significant in more recent Cockermouth history. She suggested Bradbury Park or Bradbury Court after former town civic trust chairman and author Bernard Bradbury.

She said: “He did so much in the town. His daughter lives behind the estate. I think Poet’s Corner would be terrible.”

Another council option was Mickle Brows View, a reference to the hill which can be seen from the site behind the James Walker factory.

Barry Denham, development director of Thomas Armstrong Limited, parent company of Washington Estates Ltd, said: “We’ll have to go away and have another think. Until we can get the postal addresses we can’t get the services connected.”

Work started three weeks ago to clear the site for the new homes.

Mr Denham said he expected work to start on the first house in June and be completed in six to eight months. The whole development is expected to take two-and-a-half years.

Roadworks started this week on Low Road as part of drainage work for the Sullart Street site. The work, which has closed part of the road between Crown Street and Aldi, is expected to take three weeks.

First published at 13:09, Friday, 22 March 2013
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk