5 KENDAL VISION | OPPORTUNITY SITES FOREWORD The Kendal Vision, shaped by the local community and published in 2020, is a call to embrace change, new ideas and innovation to ensure the town thrives in the face of changing demographics and a new era for high street retail. Average ages in the Kendal area are ten years older than the national average, with a significantly above average retired population. At the same time, the town is struggling to retain and attract sufficient working age population. There are significant job vacancies, yet housing is expensive and in high demand, with a shortage of two and three-bedroom family homes. Furthermore, there is almost no new housing available close to the town centre, which creates greater car dependency, pressure on roads and adds to the cost of living in the town. The town needs to provide a desirable mix of housing, workplaces and public spaces to support a balanced, diverse population of all ages who in turn will stimulate a circular and local economy, not least town centre businesses. The Living Streets Pedestrian Pound report (2024) identifies a correlation between walkable places and thriving businesses with pedestrians spending more money than people arriving by car. Through this study Kendal Futures sets an indicative blueprint for in-town development that will revitalise Kendal from the inside out. We have done this by selecting and reimagining some of the town centre’s ‘Opportunity Sites’, in particular areas where housing could replace other land uses. It demonstrates, at a high, strategic level, the financial and community value of high quality, sustainable development which could significantly contribute towards Westmorland & Furness Council’s annual new homes target and secure the future and vitality of Kendal’s town centre businesses. The list of selected sites in this study is by no means exhaustive and there are certainly others available where the same principles outlined in this report could be replicated. This gives us confidence that the overall quantum of potential development in Kendal described in this report – up to 915 homes accommodating over 2,100 people – is achievable. Development of the town centre could also support much needed improvements to our infrastructure, including changes to our road network as explained in our earlier Better Balanced Streets report. Delivering this vision is a challenging task which will demand significant public sector intervention and investment. The sites are in multiple ownerships (both public and private sector) and several existing uses would need to be relocated to appropriate, alternative locations. In some cases, we have also identified possible sites for these. We have made every effort to talk to all relevant landowners as part of the work and thank them for sharing their long-term plans and views. This engagement will continue. This document is intended to inspire all stakeholders, including Westmorland & Furness Council and local landowners, to continue to discuss the potential for these sites, and use the Local Plan process to plan for their future development. There are challenges which could not be addressed within the scope of this study including parking and flood risk management which will need further detailed consideration. The 2025 revised Zone 3 flood maps now include surface water flood risk and exceed the levels experienced during Storm Desmond. As a result, Zone 3 now impinges on several areas within the sites we have studied, though we note that these maps do not take account of the flood protection measures being built in the town. Furthermore, any future development must incorporate effective flood mitigation measures, as already deployed in Kendal and other areas of the country. Thank you to Westmorland & Furness Council and Kendal Town Council for their ongoing support of Kendal Futures, and our work, including this study. Mark Cropper Chair | Kendal Futures
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