RESIDENTS who fear green fields behind their estate could be lost to a business development have taken their objections to a senior council officer, writes Beth Broomby.

Land at north Sandylands, Kendal, has been ear-marked for potential future business use prompting residents to fear their quality of life will be undermined by increased traffic, noise and loss of views.

The site was previously earmarked for housing and building company Russell Armer Ltd had hoped to build 400 houses on the site.

But the recent shift in planning guidelines, which encourage local authorities to provide housing on brown field sites, meant the green field site off Appleby Road was no longer deemed appropriate for such use.

Instead, in the revised South Lakeland Local Plan, 2006, the site was included among a list of plots allocated for local employment use.

But more than 160 home-owners and residents have signed a petition objecting to the proposal.

SLDC's head of economy and development Richard Greenwood met residents of Spital Park, Longlands View, Fowl Ing Lane and Appleby Road, who all live in the vicinity of the land, to receive the petition.

At the hand-over, Longlands View resident Simon Butterfield told the Gazette: " There are plenty of other business parks with empty units in them.

We want to see them filled up before people start talking about further developments.

Kendal is an historic market town.

We do not think it is suitable for this level of development.

When will it all stop?"

Pensioner Brian Harrison, who has lived on the estate for the last 26 years, said: " We are all affected by this rather seriously.

We live in a nice little area at the moment.

It is close to the town but also near the countryside and fields.

That would all go if this went ahead.

"At the moment there are redshank, oyster catchers, plover and duck on that land.

All that could be destroyed."

After hearing the residents' objections, Mr Greenwood said he recognised there was a "tension" between the decision to de-allocate the site for recommended housing use and the decision to propose the site for a business use.

However, he said: "There is a shortage of employment land around Kendal to cater for its employment needs for years to come.

If we do not address that, we would be stifling job creation and business expansion.

"I think it is fair to say we have looked at all the issues which they have raised, from landscaping to traffic and we are reasonably satisfied we can overcome their concerns."

Residents will have the opportunity to put their case before the planning and transport committee on August 7.