MORE than 140 new houses at the entrance to Barrow look set to get the go-ahead next week.

The 142 new homes are planned across two fields at the corner of Dalton Lane, Abbey Road and Breast Mill Beck Road – changing the entrance to the town.

A village green, three ornamental ponds, a network of paths and green spaces, and a bus stop are all part of the plans with access from the new homes off Dalton Lane.

Kendal-based housebuilders Oakmere Homes have already won outline planning permission to build the homes across the 12.5 hectare parcel of land.

The company is planning 14 different detached house types with the majority being four-bedroom, some five bedroom and others three bedroom bungalows.

Many will take their names from places in the Lake District such as Borrowdale, Fairfield, Grasmere, Keswick, Kirkstone and Ennerdale.

The original outline planning application was turned down by Barrow Council’s planning committee but the company appealed and the decision to allow the scheme in principle was made by an independent planning inspector.

Oakmere Homes is back before Barrow Borough Council’s planning committee at a meeting in the town hall on Tuesday hoping to win permission for some of the finer details of the project.

These include issues about access, appearance, landscaping and layout. The plans have drawn 11 objections, none in support and two neutral comments.

Among the objections are that there will be a loss of countryside and a loss of separation between the towns of Barrow and Dalton.

The plans will also mean a loss of hedgerows along Dalton Lane. However, a planning officer’s report, suggests that many of the objections raised have already been dealt with under the approval by the planning inspector.

A report by Charles Wilton, Barrow Borough Council’s principal planning officer, has recommended the plans get the go-ahead but with 23 conditions that the developer must abide by.

The plans are likely to mean widening Dalton Lane to provide a right-turn filter lane from the direction of Abbey Road, pedestrian links onto Breast Mill Beck Road and a cycle lane on Dalton Lane.

Cumbria County Council, as highways authority, has said it has no objections. Local Hawcoat councillor Alan Pemberton said the application had sparked some concerns among local residents.

Cllr Pemberton said: “This has gone through all the different planning processes and a decision has been taken way above our heads. A good point is that a company is thinking of investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in Barrow as a town.”