MAJOR plans to breathe new life into Backbarrow's historic ironworks have almost cleared their final hurdle.

Lake District planners have given their backing to the multi-million pound project, subject to their

solicitor checking some legal paperwork after returning from holiday this week.

Property developers Rural Business Homes Limited hope to create around 110 jobs on the derelict industrial site by creating offices, workshops and homes. Their plans feature conservation of the archaeological remains such as the blast furnace complex.

"It's fantastic, great news," director Simon Drummond-Hay told The Westmorland Gazette after this week's Lake District National Park Authority meeting.

He said "a lot of hard work" had gone into the project, and Rural Business Homes was "very grateful" to the national park's area team leader Norman Atkins for the work he had put into the planning application.

The ironworks plan is "one of the largest single developments to be determined" within the Lake District National Park since it was designated more than half-a-century ago, Mr Atkins told planners in his report.

"The local impacts of the development would be substantial both in terms of the character and appearance of this part of Backbarrow and vehicular and pedestrian activity," he continued.

"However, the proposals have the potential to create significant additional employment and to safeguard the future of the Scheduled Ancient Monument."

Committee member Duncan Fairbairn said his home overlooked the ironworks, and he believed the development was worthy of the site. "What Backbarrow needs is a successful, thriving, flourishing development, and I believe this could be it," he said.

Mr Atkins said the scheme featured a public footpath alongside the river, and it was hoped a footpath link could be created to the existing path over the river.

The land was outside the developer's control, but he was encouraged to believe an agreement might be reached with the landowner. Committee member Michael Bentley said locals would "greatly appreciate" such a footpath link.

Rural Business Homes has agreed to several planning obligations designed to ensure the historic ironworks features are conserved, that public access is secured, that the homes and business units are built within an agreed timescale, and to prevent the homes within the combined live/work units being disposed of separately to the business accommodation.

Planners agreed their chief planning officer could approve the planning application, subject to their solicitor being satisfied with the content of the legal undertakings.

Mr Drummond-Hay said it was too early to say when work would start on site.

February 14, 2003 10:00