Biggest custom-build housing project in Lakes National Park under way

A West Cumbrian housing development with a difference is nearing a significant milestone, with its first residents due to move in within months.

However, to begin with, David and Gillian Watson will be the only people living at the Wellbank Park site, just outside Bootle.

Celebrating alongside the Watsons will be David and Janet Nuttall, the owners of the site, who have been developing it for the last 10 years.

They have spent that time clearing the former RAF site of its many buildings, including barracks and canteen, theatre and swimming pool, landscaping the site and installing utilities connections ready for people to custom-build their own homes.

Plans for the 12.5-acre site comprise a total of 50 plots, as well as eight holiday cottages designed specifically for disabled people and a community hub complete with spa, sensory room, meeting rooms and bistro.

The scheme currently has full planning permission from the Lake District National Park Planning Authority for the first 18 plots, while the rest of the site has outline permission with a decision expected by the end of the year.

Five of the plots have been purchased, with work on the Watsons’ house underway and hoped to be completed within months.

The Nuttalls were told about the land by an associate who had originally been interested in developing it as a caravan site. When this plan failed to work out, they came to have a look themselves.

“We didn’t know Bootle, we didn’t know West Cumbria, but it’s so near the beach and it’s so beautiful that we thought there was real potential,” says Janet.

The result is the biggest custom-build project ever in the Lake District National Park.

Residents will buy plots for between £100,000 to £125,000 then work with Hugr Homes, based in Cheshire, to build a custom designed house.

Houses have to meet a design code to ensure they fit in with the local surroundings. A third of the energy each home uses also has to come from renewable sources, such as solar panelling with battery storage and air source heat pumps.

“It’s really important to us for people to be able to live healthy lives,” says Janet.

“It’s in a rural setting by the coast and the houses have space. We wanted good housing on good plots on a good site and Wellbank Park does all of this.”

The Watsons, who currently live in Grimsby, are looking forward to relocating to Bootle, initially to work remotely but then eventually to retire.

So far the exterior of their four-bedroom detached house at Wellbank Park has been completed and they hope they could move in as early as February.

“It’s all a bit Little House on the Prairie at the moment because it’s just us,” says David.

Gillian is originally from nearby Seascale and the couple had been investigating the potential for a self-build in Cumbria for some time before settling on Wellbank, swayed in no small part by its views across to Black Combe and Corney Fell.

“It’s always better if you can build it yourself and get exactly what you want,” says David.

Their new home will be well insulated and come complete with air source heat pump, solar panels and battery storage, as well as mechanical ventilation with heat exchange.

They hope this will mean they can get the majority of their energy from renewable sources.

“We liked the idea of the site and building a new community was very attractive,” says Gillian.

Before taking on the development project, Janet Nuttall worked as a psychologist, while David ran a successful company in the plastics industry and undertook a number of small developments in Lancashire.

Accessibility and catering for disabled people is high on the couple’s agenda, partly driven by their own experience of David using a wheelchair due to long-term health issues.

The eight holiday cottages on the site have been designed so they can be easily used by people with disabilities.

They will be run by the same company that operates Brickhouse Cottages, in Poulton-le-Fylde, which include features such as accessible hot tubs and wet rooms and ceiling track hoists.

"Whatever family member it is and whatever their disability is, the holiday cottages provide a holiday for the whole family being able to live and socialise together," says Janet.

"It's just a wonderful business and you come away with that warm feeling that you are really valued and cared for."

The site is being planted with local native trees and the project is working with South Lakes Orchard Group to plant fruit trees, as well as beehive management organisation Plan Bee to get advice on which types of bees to keep to pollinate them.

"When you plant you can't just go by colour scheme or the plants you like, you have to think about what's going to survive, how are they going to be pollinated and how they're going to encourage other wildlife," says Janet.

As well as planting hedgerows and trees, the site also has an open swale system with running water open to the air rather than buried underground in pipes. These will in turn feed lakes to create a habitat for wildlife.

Meanwhile, it is hoped the swimming pool in the hub will be used by local children from Bootle’s Captain Shaw’s School, while its sensory room will provide a safe and stimulating environment for visitors with disabilities which cause sensory deprivation.

Access from Bootle village to the beach or railway station will run through the development.

"It's not in any way a gated community, Wellbank is part of the Bootle community and we want people to use it to access the station and to come to use the bistro and pool,” says Janet.