A new car park in a Lake District village has been given the go-ahead in a bid to address long-standing parking issues.
Members of the development control committee for the Lake District National Park Authority have given the thumbs up to plans from Phil Johnston to create a new coach and car park, a bus stop, toilets and e-bike hire facilities on Lands Field, off Yewdale Road in Coniston.
Proposals include creating 70 car parking spaces with five accessible spaces, six coach parking spaces and six bays for electric vehicle charging.
Mr Johnston told the committee in the last three years there has been a huge increase in the number of people trying to park in the village.
Mr Johnston said: “The proposals will address the existing parking issues by delivering additional car parking capacity at the edge of the village and will have a significant positive impact for local residents, businesses and visitors.”
Previous planning applications for a car park on Lands Field have been refused with an application for 100 car parking spaces being turned down in 2017 due to impact on the landscape.
Another application in 2021 was refused by the LDNPA and a subsequent appeal was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate due to the impact on the landscape and the view the scheme failed to demonstrate how the car park facilitates the transfer of people to sustainable transport.
In the new plans, the applicant has proposed the inclusion of a bus stop but confirmation that it would be used would be required from the relevant operator, planning documents state.
E-bike hire facilities and information about walking routes are also proposed in plans to facilitate sustainable transport.
The car park will also offer a single tariff for parking all day in a bid to encourage long stays so visitors will either stay in the village, use the site as a base for walking or use public transport to travel elsewhere.
A response by Coniston Parish Council to the plans said: “This proposal appears to address the major concerns in terms of access, impact on drainage and a genuine attempt to reduce the visual and environmental impact on the immediate vicinity.
“Given the importance to the long-term health of the local economy that a car park would bring, and by extension to the whole village, the parish council voted to support the proposal.”
The design and access statement said the need for additional coach and car parking in Coniston is ‘long established’ and recognised by both the Lake District National Park Authority and the parish council.
“The return of Bluebird is expected to lead to a significant increase in visitors to the Ruskin Museum, which currently does not have any dedicated parking, therefore the need for further public parking is even more acute”, it added.
The director of Ruskin Museum Tracy Hodgson said in planning documents the necessity for parking close to the attraction in light of an increase in visitor numbers.
In response to the plans Ms Hodgson said: “Since Covid all visitor attractions have been trying to get people back in and we now have an attraction that is doing just that, but without parking we fear people will stop visiting us, and we need the support from the national park to help us sustain our visitors. So we, The Ruskin Museum please ask that you pass this application.”
However, landscape charity Friends of the Lake District urged national park planners to reject the application as they consider the proposal ‘inappropriate and unsustainable’ development.
Their response added: “A car park of such a large size will encourage a greater number of vehicles to use the road network. This is in direct conflict with adopted planning policy. Therefore, the application should be refused.”
One objector told the committee there was no need for additional parking in the area.
He told the committee, himself and a colleague had carried out a survey of parking spaces in the village. He said on average there were 83 unused spaces on weekdays and 143 on weekends and during school holidays.
The planning application was granted subject to additional conditions regarding the provision of a 1.2 metre wide footpath and the prevention of overnight stays.
Committee members also delegated authority to planning officers to add conditions to ‘try to secure’ the use of a bike hire facility on the site and to control lighting at night.
The planning application was granted subject to conditions on September 4 by the development control committee.
