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PLANNING permission is being sought to convert a village’s former post office into apartments.
An application has been submitted to South Lakeland District Council to convert the existing Moorland Cottage in Kirkby into two apartments and for a change of use of the post office to residential, plus a two storey extension to create a three bed semi-detached house.
The application has been submitted by Walsall based Kirkby Platinum Ltd.
The plans state that the shop will remain after the refurbishment.
A number of residents have submitted letters of objections to the plans.
One resident, Geraldine Scott, said: “I think that this development is very unfortunate for the village especially given its central location in the village. There does not appear to be enough parking provision for all these houses as well as the shop, with the potential to create an eyesore of street parking in the centre of the village.”
Another resident described the plans as ‘wrong for the infrastructure’ of the village.
Marie Pepper, of Burlington Close, said: “This village is going to end up as a ghost town filled with holiday cottages.”
Linzi Metcalfe, of Burlington Villas, said: “This small village does not need further holiday lets. It needs someone to be more considerate of the people who already live here. I can only envision people parking inappropriately to save time getting to the many different properties proposed. This area of the village is already dangerous due to parking.”
The post office shut its doors for the final time last November while the shop remained open.
READ MORE: Moorland Post Office in Kirkby in Furness to close
The post office was run by Elaine Varley for 20 years and became a ‘well-loved’ service for the community.
Matt Brereton, county councillor for High Furness, said the pandemic had placed a ‘great deal of strain’ on businesses, particularly for post offices and the Royal Mail.
He said: “While no doubt disappointed to lose such a convenient post office counter in the heart of the community, I’m sure everyone wishes to thank Elaine for her hard work and service over the years and will continue to frequent her excellent local shop.”
