A Lake District car park, created without planning permission last year, must be removed.
Operators of the car park, at Low Grassings, near Coniston, was served with an enforcement notice by the Lake District National Park Authority.
The landowner lodged an appeal against the notice with the Secretary of State, arguing that a breach of planning control had not occurred. The car park was created in March 2022.
But a planning inspector has now dismissed the landowner’s appeal, saying that the car park is unlawful and must be removed.
The car park – which included unauthorised excavations, stone infill, pay and display machines and associated signs – was considered an unacceptable man-made addition that harmed the character and appearance of the national park and World Heritage Site, the authority said.
The landowner is now required to stop using the land as a car park, remove the hard surfaces and ticket machines that had been installed, and reinstate the land within three months.
Dr Geoff Davies, chair of the Lake District National Park Authority development control committee, said: “We are pleased that the inspector has agreed with us that this unauthorised car park should be removed.
“This is an unlawful and unacceptable development, formed without planning permission in the open countryside of the national park.
“Our enforcement team work hard to ensure planning rules are followed and the special qualities of spectacular Lake District landscape are safeguarded from harmful unauthorised developments. We look forward to seeing the land restored.”
The enforcement notice against this car park is one of several enforcement notices served by the national park authority over the last year – the Lake District’s active planning enforcement team is 24th of 322 local planning authorities nationally, and 10th outside London for the number of enforcement notices served, according to recent Government figures.
