PERMISSION has been granted for 25 new homes to be built in a west Cumbrian village.

Allerdale council's development panel has given permission for the development at Meadow Bank, Oughterside.

At a meeting on Tuesday, councillors agreed it should be given the go-ahead, provided conditions are imposed on the developer, including the signing of an agreement to provide a number of affordable homes and to contribute to improving play facilities.

Jim Lister, of West Moor End in Aspatria, is behind the plans for the 25 homes to be built on a 0.84-hectare site on the edge of Prospect.

Three of the 25 homes would be affordable.

As part of the conditions for the development, £4,020 would have to be paid towards facilities for children and young people in the village.

The cash would be given to the parish council to upgrade an existing off-site play provision.

This would be secured by the signing of a Section 106 Agreement.

Councillors sitting on Allerdale’s development panel have given permission to planning officers to add conditions relating the provision of broadband to the site, as per Government guidelines.

The homes will be built on agricultural land on the southern edge of Prospect.

To the north of the site is the residential development of Meadow Bank and the rest of the site is surrounded by agricultural land.

The application was approved at outline stage, meaning that a more detailed application will have to be submitted.

When this happens, the county council said ground tests should be conducted to determine the state of the ground.

A report said: "The ground Investigation Report references possible trapped groundwater due to the assumed clay ground conditions.

"Neither the Flood Risk Assessment nor aforementioned report provide any ground tests to determine the actual conditions.

"Whilst it is likely clay, evidence should be submitted to prove this and infiltration tests conducted."

A short section of roadside hedge will be removed create the access to the development.

However the council said additional planting within the site can compensate for the loss of the hedge.