Plans for five new homes in redundant sandstone barns

The application is for a site at Petersburgh Farm and officers within the planning department are trying to establish whether or not the development requires prior approval.

According to a supporting statement the current buildings are redundant sandstone barns that form part of a historic farmstead.

The report adds: “The agricultural barns are traditional stone-built barns that are not fit for modern agricultural practises and surplus to the applicant’s requirements to the availability of other more modern agricultural barns within their wider farm holding.

“Petersburgh Farm lies on the southern outskirts of Beckermet village that has a range of local facilities. The farmstead lies on the western side of a lightly used road that historically linked Beckermet to Sellafield but is now a dead end.

“Redeveloping the historic barns for residential purposes will fit in with the residential use of the main farmhouse and is considered the most appropriate use.”

The report states that the site is not occupied under an agricultural tenancy and the development will not result in the external dimensions of the building extending beyond the external dimensions of the existing building at any given point.

It adds: “The dimensions of the proposed five residences have been checked against the government’s minimum space standards in order to ensure that they meet and exceed the required design standards.

“The existing roof and wall materials will be retained and all wall and roof insulation will be accommodated internally within the existing framework and built to building regulation standards.”

The report concludes: “This Statement demonstrates that the proposals fully comply with the Class Q legislation’s requirements and there are no known technical constraints that prohibit the development at the scale being proposed.

“The sympathetic barn conversions should therefore be approved in accordance with the submitted details.”