Councillors will decide on Thursday whether part of the former Arnold Clark garage on Mintsfeet Road, Kendal, can be converted into self-storage units and a light industrial unit, despite objections from the council’s own highways and flood authorities.
Planning officers have recommended approval for application 2026/1214/FPA. The proposal will be considered by the South Lakeland Local Area Planning Committee at 10am on Thursday 10 September 2026, at the District Council Chamber in Kendal Town Hall, Lowther Street.
The disagreement between officers and the two council authorities is why the application is being decided in public. The officer’s report records the reason for committee consideration as “Highways/LLFA objection contrary to Officer recommendation”. Kendal Town Council has raised no objection.
What is planned at the Mintsfeet Road garage?
The application covers the 552-square-metre rear part of the former Arnold Clark Vauxhall garage, at Mintsfeet Road, LA9 6NN. The applicant is T Dodgson and the case officer is Sonja Swift.
The proposed change of use would replace the car workshop with storage and distribution space, classified as Use Class B8, alongside general industrial space, classified as Use Class B2. External alterations are also proposed.
Those changes include replacing the roof and wall cladding with anthracite grey cladding, adding six transparent roof panels on the north elevation, and installing black fascia panels, grey roller shutter doors and grey window frames. The plans also include removing and adding various doors, windows and access points on the south, east and north elevations.
The front section of the building is not included. That 480-square-metre area, with parking for 25 cars, would remain as it is. The application follows an earlier permission, granted on 21 May 2026 under reference 2025/2324/FPA, covering the whole building for offices, general industrial and storage, with 33 shared parking spaces.
Why highways and flood officials objected
The Local Highway Authority recommended refusal in responses dated 27 July and 17 August. Its concern is that parking has not been properly assessed.
Under the Cumbria Development Design Guide, the proposed general industrial use would require 11 spaces. Storage would require 5.5 spaces, as well as a disabled space and a service space. The submitted plan shows eight spaces, including one disabled space and a car and motorcycle bay.
Planning officers accept there is a shortfall but say the guide sets no parking standard for the retained car sales use, the 25 spaces at the front are adequate for the site overall, and a condition requiring spaces to be marked and retained for parking would address the remaining issue.
Highways had also requested a safe and attractive route beside Public Footpath 536017, which runs along the eastern boundary. That request has since been dropped after the authority confirmed that the council’s active travel project had been cut back and the footpath improvements removed from it. The improvement is not being deferred through this application.
The Lead Local Flood Authority has also objected. The site is in Flood Zone 3, described in the report as the highest-risk category, on flat ground north of Kendal town centre.
A flood risk assessment was submitted by R G Parkins, under reference K-2026-0044.FRA/001. The flood authority says it “does not consider whether there are any reasonable opportunities for the development to provide improved resilience and the benefits of sustainable drainage”. It also says a previous application for the building was approved while further information was still required.
The assessment proposes low-permeability materials, air-vent flood dams, flood doors, registration with the Environment Agency flood-warning service and a flood plan for staff and visitors. Officers consider those measures sufficient for an existing building and recommend that they be secured by condition, without requiring additional sustainable drainage.
Hours, lighting and Thursday’s meeting
A neighbour living behind the site asked for work not to take place at night and for security lighting not to shine into bedrooms. The existing car dealership has never had restrictions on its operating hours, according to the report.
If approved, the recommended conditions would restrict the new uses to 7am to 9.30pm every day. The refuse and recycling area, which is closest to neighbouring homes, would be limited to 8am to 8pm. Any new external lighting would need the council’s approval first.
The report notes an earlier paperwork error: the previous permission referred to hours of 7am to 9pm, while a delegated report stated 9.30pm. The condition now recommended uses the later closing time.
The meeting is open to the public. The deadline for applying to speak has passed. Four other applications are on the agenda, but only one is close to Kendal: proposals for extensions and a reconfigured elevation at Passing Winds in Sedgwick. The other cases concern sites at Grange-over-Sands, Cartmel and Cark-in-Cartmel.
