Plans for 76 new affordable homes to be built at Penrith have been refused.

The application from Riverside and Atkinson Building Contractors Ltd to Eden Council for land at White Ox Farm on Inglewood Road was recommended for approval by planners, who felt the benefits of the affordable homes outweighed concerns.

But the majority of the council's planning committee voted to refuse due to concerns about noise impact on residents and the safety of cyclists and pedestrians on nearby roads.

Councillors also expressed concern over the developer arguing it could not pay a £200,004 education contribution requested by Cumbria County Council.

Ian Irwin, the council's principal planning officer, told the committee that, on balance, he felt the scheme complied with planning policy.

He said: "The price sometimes is you have to forgo certain things in order to get 76 affordable homes and that's a price that, in this instance, I think we should be willing to pay."

Councillors disagreed and were particularly concerned about how residents would be affected by noise.

Mr Irwin added: "The environmental health officers fundamentally still feel that the scheme is deficient in terms of detailing how the mitigation of noise would be for future occupants of the site, there's absolutely no doubt about that."

Nick Atkinson, planning services development manager, argued refusal would raise questions about where councillors would be happy for houses to be built but the committee was unconvinced.