SOUTH Lakeland planners have welcomed a farm diversification project that will create a new caravan site near Flookburgh.

Mr E. Wilson is seeking planning permission to site 27 static caravans on agricultural land at Sandgate Farm, to the west of the village. The plans also include the creation of an access road along the route of a field boundary to link the site to the road network.

South Lakeland District Council's planning committee heard that the applicant's family had farmed the area for many years and the scheme would provide additional revenue to supplement their farming income.

The plans include an extensive landscaping scheme to screen the site from the surrounding landscape. Quick-growing goat willow will be planted to provide a rapid screen, along with a native woodland mix that will become established in around ten years when the willow will be removed.

A transport impact assessment submitted by the applicant suggested the level of traffic generated by the scheme would be low.

Two letters of objection were received from local residents. They said that there were already too many caravan sites in the area and were concerned at the affect of the scheme on the landscape and highway network.

Planning officer Nick Hayhurst said the applicant had agreed to sign a legal agreement that no caravans go on the site for five years to allow the planting to become established. He had also agreed to an agreement linking the site to the farm so it could not be sold off or run separately from the farm.

Subject to these conditions he recommended the scheme for approval. Councillors, who had already visited the site, were impressed by the applicant's thoroughness.

Coun Gill Granwell said: "I'm really impressed with this. They seem to have thought of all the issues and dealt with them. I support this."

The other councillors agreed and the committee agreed to delegate authority to the assistant director of development to approve the plans subject to final agreement on the conditions with the applicant.