A CONTROVERSIAL application to build 65 new homes in a Cumbrian town has been amended.

Plans for the development in Aspatria were lodged back in September. It would see the houses would be build on vacant agricultural land beside Station Road.

The proposed estate would be built by Penrith company Gleeson Homes - but the application has attracted a number of objections.

Among them is one from Aspatria Town Council, which was prompted to objected partly by the sheer number of residents who are against the proposal.

On March 25, residents were told that Allerdale Borough Council had received an amendment to the plans and invited new comments.

They were told that any comments must be sent to the council by April 8 to ensure their views were taken into account.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said many people in the town had serious safety concerns about the proposal.

They said: "Access to the site for pedestrians and vehicles is very dangerous. That's our concern.

"I have no objection to the building of the houses at all. If people want to come and live here that's great, but there are safety issues.

"Station Road can sometimes be as busy as the A596, and you will have 65 houses worth of people on the road. It's an accident waiting to happen.

"There's another development with 34 houses opposite, so it's a lot of cars. It will increase the population of Aspatria by 13 per cent.

"In Workington terms, that would be 5,000 people.

"Highways are insisting there's a pedestrian crossing on station road, but there's no pavement on one side so how would they do that?

"People are going to have to cross the road twice."

The amended plans show a new access to previous iterations - but the changes have failed to satisfy residents. Station road is used by factories in the area.

The plans indicate a majority of three-bedroom houses, with 40 in all. There would be 16 properties with two bedrooms, nine with four or more and no one-bedroom homes.

A total of 135 car park spaces would be created.

The planning application shows plans for 65 “market homes”.

The definition of market housing is defined as private housing for rent or sale where the price is set in the open market.

A planning statement, submitted in September by Gleeson Homes, said the type of houses on the development would provide homes for first time buyers and those wishing to downsize.

The statement added that the proposals would bring "much needed" new housing to Aspatria.

As of yet, there is no indication as to when the application will be decided by planners.