Women's safety in new village 'needs assessing'
Cumberland CouncilPlans for a huge new garden village south of Carlisle should include a more thorough assessment of safety for women after dark, according to a councillor.
Liberal Democrat Cumberland Councillor Brian Wernham said there were "real problems" with women's safety on some proposed walking and cycling routes.
A spokesperson for Labour-run Cumberland Council said the plan had a policy to address safety, requiring developers to provide safe travel routes and a lighting strategy.
The local plan for St Cuthbert's, which is expected to include10,000 homes, is currently being examined by the government's Planning Inspectorate.
Wernham said remote off-road routes and a proposed underpass could suffer from a lack of natural surveillance, giving rise to concerns about personal safety.
Calling for the council to make a separate assessment, he said: "I believe that there are some real problems with women's safety on those routes."
He also called for a requirement for developers to boost biodiversity by 20%, rather than the 10% currently proposed.
A spokesperson for Cumberland Council said the plan addressed safety, citing a policy that "requires safe active travel routes, which includes a lighting strategy."
They added that a core aim of the garden village is to enhance the environment, with large areas devoted to natural spaces and cycling and walking routes.
