Residents, traders and developers face a three-month wait for a final decision on controversial plans to transform Kendal's K Village into a £38 million mall.

After hearing four days of evidence, Government-appointed planning inspector Mary O'Rourke will make her recommendation on the plans to the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on June 16. The minister's decision is then expected around 11 weeks later from August 25.

The public inquiry into the bid from Edinburgh-based developer Guinea Group was officially wound up on Monday after hearing closing statements from the legal teams battling both for and against the scheme, which would see K Village on Lound Road a shoe factory turned factory outlet - demolished and rebuilt.

Frances Patterson QC, representing the owners of Kendal's Westmorland Shopping Centre Ethel Austin Properties, maintained that the development of an "out of centre purpose built factory outlet" represented a "long term challenge to the health of Kendal town centre".

She told Monday's hearing the outlet was likely to function as a separate retail destination to the town centre and was not well integrated into Kendal by bus, rail or by foot. "The environmental quality of pedestrian links" was, she concluded, "not attractive".

She argued that other sites were preferable and more in keeping with Government guidelines on concentrating development in central areas of town including the Goodacres Carpet and Gilkes site.

Meanwhile, Martin Carter, representing South Lakeland District Council which backed the scheme, claimed the proposal would "function in sympathy with and not in competition with the town centre".

The development was integrated into Kendal, he argued, since bus links were as good as those serving the town centre while walks to K Village were not unattractive or dangerous as objectors had maintained. He said K Village was fulfilling a need identified in the Kendal Retail Centre for more retail space and would directly improve the economic fortunes of Kirkland.

Mr Carter went on to criticise objectors for "trying to ride two horses which are pulling it in different directions" by arguing against K Village expansion because it would cause more town centre traffic and then advancing other sites which in his view would bring greater traffic increases.

The final word went to Vincent Fraser QC, Guinea Group's representative. In an hour-long statement he argued the proposal would:

Improve the look of the K Village site and stop it from deteriorating further.

Enhance the retail offer of Kendal.

Strengthen the southern end of Kendal which was in need of regeneration.

Provide a wet weather tourist attraction.

He added that objections raised by Ethel Austin were "driven by commercial considerations" and argued there were no preferable sites submitting as last minute evidence a report from The Westmorland Gazette in which David Poole, one of the directors of Goodacres Carpets, said a move was "not on the agenda" while a director of the firm that owns the Goodacres site said Ethel Austin had been "very, very naughty" in suggesting its land was potentially available. Ms Patterson has seven days in which to reply to the eleventh hour submission.

After the inquiry, Guinea Group managing direct John Drummond said he was pleased everybody had had an opportunity to put forward their arguments in public and have frank debate.

"It's been a good inquiry from that point of view. Now we will have to see what the result is."

May 16, 2003 10:31