An innovative project to create the first-ever ‘custom build’ housing development in the Lake District National Park has moved a step closer, after a full planning application was submitted.
The proposal to regenerate the 12-acre former Ministry of Defence site at Wellbank Park near Bootle in West Cumbria includes 50 custom-build house plots, where homeowners buy the land and are then supported every step of the way to build their own energy-efficient dream homes, designed to fit their personal lifestyles. Around 13,000 houses are currently built in this way in the UK each year.
The detached houses and bungalows sit will alongside a community hub, giving residents access to a café, swimming pool, co-working space, meeting rooms and community exhibition space, as well as a hydrotherapy pool, gym, and sensory room. They will be set amid spacious landscaped cycleways, pathways and two small lakes, with eight holiday homes for people with disabilities also on site.
Wellbank Park is being developed by property group F N Solutions in partnership with Hugr Homes and the first 12 homes are currently being marketed by Lakes Estates.
One of the Owners of F N Solutions, David Nuttall bought the site with his wide Janet and business partner Mark Frost ten years ago, with a vision to attract new families to the area by creating a vibrant, mixed-use development centred around community and sustainability.
He says: “It’s tremendously exciting to see this project coming to fruition, in what will be a first of its kind for the Lake District National Park. There are so many advantages to homebuyers talking a direct role in designing custom-build homes to meet their personal needs, not least the chance to future-proof against rising energy costs by incorporating low-cost features. Buyers can also take advantage of the Government’s Help to Build scheme.”
David adds: “We’re really passionate about this often-overlooked area of Cumbria, which combines excellent transport links with views across the Western fells and easy access to beaches at Silecroft and Bootle. As Cumbria residents ourselves, we genuinely want to offer people a unique coastal lifestyle which enables them to live, work and thrive.”
Anyone wanting to find out more about custom-build homes is invited to Wellbank Park’s first ‘open days’ on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 July (11am-4pm), including site tours and the chance to talk to the designers and builders.
Each plot costs from £100,000 with the build cost on top of that. The houses must all adhere to the Lake District’s design code and must be people’s primary residence.
A decision on planning permission for the full site is expected from the Lake District National Park later this year.
