A CONTROVERSIAL planning application from a prominent west Cumbrian businessman will be brought back in front of the council next week - after it was found that ecological reports for the development were not carried out at the time the application had stated, but five years earlier.

Businessman Bill Dobie's company bought the former county fire headquarters and land on Station Road, Cockermouth in 2015, paying around £2million for the 3.8-acre site.

It later went on to turn the derelict building into apartments, and now aims to build a further ten apartments and six houses on site.

These plans proved controversial, with local campaigners saying they would affect biodiversity - particularly the red squirrels they say live in the area.

At a meeting in September 2023, the plans were voted on by Cumberland councillors who approved the development.

But following that planning committee meeting, it was 'brought to the council’s attention' that the ecological report and red squirrel report submitted as part of the planning documents were out-of-date surveys from a 2018 application and for a 2019 planning application that was withdrawn - not from 2023 as the applicant had stated.

Due to this revelation, the planning decision was not issued and the applicant was required to undertake a new survey by a qualified ecologist.

A new survey was undertaken on January 5 by a new ecologist who, council officers say, confirms that the habitats within the site remained very similar to that of the 2018 report previously undertaken at the site.

But campaigners say that the red squirrels will not be active in the area between January to March due to breeding meaning they are largely inactive, saying that it is just 'so disappointing' to see the new report be accepted and for officers to once again recommend the application for approval.

Cockermouth Town Council has also issued an objection due to the timing of the new ecological survey.

Gabrielle Sanders, one of the campaigners said: "I feel really disappointed, really really disappointed because we put a lot of work as a group into communicating with the council, all the things we have done."

She said that the new ecological report had only been ordered because she discovered that the '2023' report was just the 2018 report with a different date.

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: “Following a previous planning committee it was brought to our attention that the ecological report and red squirrel report for the former Fire Headquarters, Station Road, Cockermouth were not carried out in 2023 as submitted by the applicant and were actually an out of date survey from a 2018 application and for a 2019 planning application that was withdrawn.

“Therefore we have not issued the permission and we required the applicant to provide a new ecological and red squirrel survey to be undertaken by a qualified ecologist. A public re-consultation was undertaken.

“The new survey information and consultation responses will be discussed at an upcoming planning committee."

In the updated planning report, council officers added: "The ecologist that carried out the most recent survey is a north east-based ecologist. The ecologist is fully qualified including undertaking red squirrel surveys.

"They are a full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management (CIEEM) and a member of the Northumberland Bat Group."

The report added the ecologist used a thermal imaging camera when undertaking the four-hour survey.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 13.

The applicant Bill Dobie and the agent have both been approached for comment.