A landscape charity said it was disappointed with the approval of plans for a tourist attraction in the Lake District predicted to attract 50,000 visitors a year.
Friends of the Lake District reacted to the Lake District National Park Authority development control committee narrowly voting in favour of revised proposals from applicant Burlington Slate Ltd and preferred operator Zip World for the Elterwater Quarry Experience.
A spokesman for Friends of the Lake District said: “We are disappointed at the decision to approve the attraction at Elterwater Quarry and stand with the many members of the community, and others who love this area, who have many concerns about this development.
“Whilst we’re pleased that some changes have been made to the detail of the travel plan following the concerns raised about increased traffic in the area, we’re still of the view that it is unrealistic to expect people to park at Brockhole, near Windermere, and then take other forms of transport to reach the site.
“We remain opposed in principle to a major tourist attraction being established in a small community that is already under huge visitor pressure.
“The area already suffers from congestion and a demand for parking, and even a small increase in traffic will make the problems worse.”
The project aims to allow visitors to explore parts of the cavern that had been previously inaccessible for a heritage-based adventure experience.
Plans include installing platforms in the caves at points of interest. Visitors will travel from one platform to another via zipline.
The plans were previously rejected by the development control committee in September 2023 after members went against planning officers’ recommendations to approve it due to concerns over traffic.
Amended plans include a travel plan which encourages people to walk, cycle and use public transport to reach the site.
Proposals include providing an improved no. 516 bus service or operating a private Zip World shuttle bus from Brockhole. Zip World would also financially reward customers that have used non-car travel to make all or part of their journey to the experience through ticket pricing.
After the meeting, CEO of Zip World, Andrew Hudson said: “We are pleased the committee has awarded consent to our proposals for Elterwater Quarry.
“We recognise the role we can play in celebrating and preserving this unique part of the Lake District’s heritage and look forward to working with local communities and stakeholders to demonstrate how we will operate this educational experience in a sensitive and sympathetic manner.”
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO, requested the application be halted and that further tourism proposals are suspended altogether until an interpretation strategy for the entire world heritage site is prepared.
A spokesman for Friends of the Lake District said it was deeply concerning such little weight had been given to the issues it raised.
They added: “We believe that developments like this, which merely use the landscape as a backdrop, risk the Lake District being stripped of its World Heritage Site designation and fail to further the statutory purposes of national park designation as is required by law.”
A spokesman for the Lake District National Park Authority said: “As part of the normal planning application process we notified Historic England of the proposals.
“Acting on behalf of the DDCMS and the Government who are the state party for world heritage site matters, Historic England notified ICOMOS of the application. ICOMOS is an advisory body for UNESCO.
“ICOMOS decided to undertake a technical review of the application on behalf of UNESCO. We considered ICOMOS’ response as part of our assessment of the planning application, and the broader issues raised.”
Who are Friends of the Lake District?
Friends of the Lake District is a charity which dedicates itself to protecting and enhancing the environment.
Founded 90 years ago in Keswick, it says it believes that the Lake District offers some of the most spectacular and precious landscapes in England and it takes action to protect and enhance the natural beauty of these landscapes for the benefit of local communities, visitors, wildlife and habitats.
We asked the charity to answer its critics and explain more about itself here.
