PLANS to build 11 homes for local people on the site of a Bowness car park have been given the go ahead by the Lake District National Park Authority.

The site at St Martin's Parade, which is next to the public car park at Rayrigg Road, currently provides 51 parking spaces for the nearby Old England Hotel.

The Old England's owners MacDonald Hotels have now been granted permission to build 11 two-bedroom houses, consisting of a terrace of three houses, a pair of semi-detached houses, one detached house and another terrace of five houses.

Each house will have its own parking space and the site will also include 47 valet parking spaces for the hotel.

National park authority planning officer Mairi Lock said the district council's housing needs survey showed a strong need for small low-cost housing in the area and the new houses would be restricted for sale to people living or working in the Windermere parish.

Ms Lock told the development control committee that a number of issues of concern to members and residents had been dealt with since the committee's site visit.

Various improvements had been made to the design and layout and the number of units had been reduced from 12 to 11.

She said the result was a development that would contribute to the character and appearance of the conservation area and improve the visual appearance from the public car park.

She therefore recommended that the plans could now be approved and the committee agreed, subject to conditions including the use of local stone, timber-framed windows, a separate system of drainage and a local occupancy clause.