A major landscape charity said it will continue to oppose plans for a heritage and tourism attraction at a Lake District quarry.
Friends of the Lake District said despite changes developer Burlington Stone had made to its proposals to transform Elterwater Quarry, it would still turn a part of the area into a theme park.
Burlington Stone is working with Zip World on the attraction, which it said could see up to 50,000 people a year visit.
It wants to use part of he quarry at Great Langdale for heritage tourism – including zip wires in its caverns, a visitor centre and natural history trail.
When the firm first revealed its plans, it provoked outrage, including an online petition against the plans signed by over 90,000 people. Its first planning application was rejected, due to fears over the increase in traffic it would generate.
It has resubmitted its plans with a bespoke travel plan, which includes initiatives to encourage sustainable travel, including people walking, cycling and using public transport to reach the site.
Friends of the Lake District said it believed there was no justification for the adventure attraction, and that the new version of the proposal will still result in significant extra traffic through the already highly congested village of Elterwater.
The charity’s CEO Michael Hill said: “Langdale is already one of England’s most iconic valleys, offering adventurous natural experiences and home to thriving businesses. There’s no evidence that Langdale will be enhanced by a major new attraction.
“The revised travel plan is entirely unrealistic. How many people are going to park six miles away, then get a mixture of boats, buses, and bikes to Elterwater?
“Everyone will end up driving there, adding even more congestion to the narrow roads in this remote community, harming tranquillity, and increasing carbon emissions. This is the wrong attraction, at the wrong time, in the wrong place.”
The charity added that Honister Slate Mine’s plans for a zip wire raised further questions about ‘what sort of visitor attractions are appropriate for the Lake District’.
The charity said: “Many of our members feel that ‘theme park’ type plans are exploiting the area, rather than enhancing it or complementing its special qualities.
Burlington Stone issued a statement in response. It said: “We have listened carefully to the feedback from the Lake District National Park Authority development committee in September, and used it to adapt our plans.
“Our new submission is centred on an enhanced travel plan to encourage the use of walking, cycling, public or shared transport and low emission vehicles to reach our site. It also highlights our proposed ticketing strategy that ensures visitor numbers do not exceed the on-site parking allocation, with financial incentives for those who use non-car travel to reach the experience.
“Combined with an improved visitor management plan, we are confident that this ticketing system and travel plan will allow us to easily manage and accurately predict visitor numbers at all times.
“Once visitors reach the site, they will be part of a unique experience that celebrates the mining heritage of Elterwater while triggering high value inward investment to the Lake District.”
