TWO new major housing developments have been given the green light as South Lakeland District Council moves closer to achieving an ambitious housing target.

The authority's South Lakeland Housing Strategy aims to have 6,700 new homes completed by 2025, including 1,000 'affordable' homes.

A development off Kendal Road in Kirkby Lonsdale for 78 new homes was given the go ahead by SLDC's planning committee - a decision that will see the town's population grow by 12 per cent.

And permission was also granted for 49 new homes to be built on a plot of land off Greengate Lane in Levens - 17 of which will be affordable.

Cllr Kevin Lancaster, who represents Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale, said that he 'welcomed' the approval of the application off Kendal Road although he did express some reservations.

"I do welcome the application in the form that it now is and I think most residents in Kirkby Lonsdale will as well," he said. "It's been a long process since when they first started the housing allocation."

Cllr Lancaster was concerned about the impact the development would have on Kendal Road traffic, particularly during peak school hours.

Thirty-five per cent of the housing in the development has been allocated as affordable, with stress put on the 'extensive use of stone' used to ensure that the housing was 'indistinguishable' from the open market homes.

Cllrs Jeanette Jenkinson said that she felt like it was important the affordable homes had 'character'.

"In the past developers used to build all the affordable houses in an area and I personally do not like that it creates issues," she said, after the meeting. "I am all for communities that gel and sometimes if your house looks a bit different you might get a different attitude from the neighbour and actually it's good practice, too."

The application for the Levens development was approved despite there being more dissenting voices.

David Coates said the two storey houses would invade the 'privacy' of a resident living in a bungalow on Greengate Crescent that he was representing.

"The issue is that the proposed houses would be dominant, overbearing and result in a loss of light by overshadowing," he said.

However, it was said that the houses were of an acceptable distance from surrounding properties and given the slope of the land would be 'about the same height' as the bungalow on Greengate Crescent.

Levens Parish Council objected to the homes due to concerns that the plans submitted varied from a consultation event and the site layout was 'congested.'

However, speaking after the decision was made, the chairman of Levens Parish Council, Roger Atfield, said that he appreciated that more houses were needed.

"If you put 49 houses into an existing village in one location then obviously there was going to be an impact not least with traffic on roads that have not been designed to take that kind of traffic," he said. "Everything has to change. We are aware of that. Nothing stands still. Overall, I think it will probably benefit the village and I would hope Levens will be just as an attractive place as it is now."