AN APPLICATION seeking permission to position up to 36 storage containers on a site in a South Lakeland village has been refused by the district council.

The proposal from H. Farthing, of the Farthing Pension Fund, would have seen the steel units occupy a plot of land in Station Yard, Burneside, currently used for boat storage.

The containers would have been for business and domestic use and were to be either 12.2m by 2.44m or 6.1m by 2.44m in size. 

In the refusal of the application, a spokesman for South Lakeland District Council said the plan raised 'significant concerns regarding an intensification of use of the road leading to the application site, including conflict with users of the public footpath'.

"Moreover, the proposed development would not provide adequate service and turning space nor parking provision - to the detriment of highway safety," said the spokesman.

"The proposed development, based on the submitted information, raises significant concerns that noise, disturbance and headlights would result in unacceptable harm to the living conditions of nearby residents."

He also said concerns existed over the impact the project would have 'on the adjacent trees, whether an environmental net gain for biodiversity would be achieved, and the presence - or otherwise - of protected species'.