RESIDENTS affected by the Garden Village proposals have written to Carlisle City Council with concerns about the development.

Those living in Cummersdale, near Carlisle, are unhappy that one of the proposals shows more than 850 homes on the outskirts of their village.

Brian Nicholson, who has lived in Cummersdale for 35 years, said: "Many people in the community are sceptical of the outcome.

"Parish councils in the past contributed to the local plan for areas where development in our village would be appropriate. This has been ignored. Cummersdale is a small village on the outskirts of Carlisle with a school, pub, farm, village hall and 150 dwellings.

"It should come as no surprise that at the late stage of the process we learn that planners intend to add 850 to 1,100 additional high density dwellings on the outskirts of our village.

"However, the sting is that the proposed development will be in addition to the developments around other sites in the Carlisle area.

"For these reasons, I think it is not unreasonable to ask that the deadlines set arbitrarily by the council for finalising the plans are cancelled until a fully completed plan is available taking due notice of the foregoing."

The city council says St Cuthbert’s Garden Village will enable Carlisle to continue to grow in a planned way across the coming decades. It will make the most of opportunities to build innovative, mixed-use, self-sufficient communities equally well-connected to each other and the city.

The outcome of this next phase of work will be a draft Masterplan that will cover:

• Land use - the location, extent, type and mix of development including housing, commercial, retail, community and other uses.

• Movement and access - highlighting new and enhanced routes to create a well-connected place for walking, cycling, public transport and other vehicles.

• Green and blue infrastructure - identifying the location and function of new and enhanced green and blue spaces across the area.

• Urban design - defining important gateways, focal points, views and frontages.

To ensure that the final Masterplan is robust and maximises the site opportunities, three options have been developed by Arup, a multi-national planning and design services consultancy, working on behalf of the council.

The council is seeking public views on each option to find out what the strengths and weaknesses are of each proposal.

Resident Deb Clode said: "We need as many voices heard as possible."

To take part in the consultation on St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, visit www.stcuthbertsgv.co.uk or email your comments to stcuthbertsgv@carlisle.gov.uk

Alternatively view printed copies of the proposals at the Customer Contact Centre in Carlisle Civic Centre or at Carlisle library.

The deadline for responses is Monday, October 14.