Developer to spend up to £5million creating 16 homes in Cockermouth

Dobies Cumbria Properties Ltd has already spent £4.5million acquiring and developing the site off Station Road.

The company has applied to Cumberland Council for full planning permission to build a further 10 apartments and six houses.

The company bought the former county fire headquarters and land in 2015, paying about £2m for the 3.8-acre site.

Big plans for the town centre site (Image: Supplied)

It later went on to transform the derelict building into apartments.

The company now wants to expand the development - next to the former railway line and known as The Sidings, building an apartment block and houses.

Bill Dobie said: "I think it will cost us another approaching £5 million. This includes some very high level landscaping and street furniture.

"We shall be enhancing the public amenity area in town."

The application states: "The applicant has invested significantly in both the extension, conversion and refurbishment of the original office building to provide a series of residential apartments across the original two floors and the newly extended areas, bringing the dis-used building back into use and halting the legacy of previous neglect and deterioration.

"This work on the existing building has arguably greatly improved not only the general appearance of the now-converted office building, but in turn has led to the organisation and landscaping of the grounds which were unkempt and overgrown."

The proposed new development would consist of a new four-storey apartment block providing 10 new apartment homes (two with two bedrooms, eight with two bedrooms) and six new two-storey houses - two four-bedroomed detached and four semi-detached (two with two bedrooms, two with three).

Planning policy requires the provision of six units to be designated and assigned for affordable homes.

"It is intended that these affordable homes will be provided within the converted former fire headquarters building," states the application.

The design provides "dedicated private gardens to each of the new houses, but also incorporates a large extent of communal garden/ park and managed woodland for use by all residents of both the new development and also the converted former office building".

The communal areas will include woodland pathways and more formal areas where the residents can gather.

"The landscape will be improved in areas used by the general public, to the eastern end of the site (the bridge) where it is noted the local community tend to congregate and meet where the pathway splits," it states.

"In this area the project landscape architect has included plans for an area where the community can sit and enjoy the environment."

A formal woodland management plan will be in place, states the application.

"The proposed development of new housing had been designed to respect, maintain and reinforce the generation of a quality landscape and woodland.

"Uniquely for a town centre development the design emphasis has been focused on retaining and respecting a secluded semi-rural feel for the development."