A judicial review of a decision to grant plans for a tourist attraction in the Lake District will take place at the end of this month.
Friends of the Lake District launched a legal challenge following the approval of plans from Burlington Slate Ltd for a heritage tourism experience at Elterwater Quarry/
The hearing is set to take place on April 30 and May 1 in the High Court.
Last May, members of the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control committee narrowly approved the application.
It is estimated that up to 50,000 people a year could visit the attraction.
Objectors are concerned that the roads in the Langdale Valley, near Ambleside, will not be able to cope.
The initial application was turned down due to traffic concerns. The approved application, with a revised transport plan by Burlington Slate and operator Zip World, which says it would put on shuttle buses and not encourage people to drive to the site, has not quelled the protestors’ fears.
The landscape charity said it had concerns about the lawfulness of the decision in respect of the understanding of the Sandford Principle – which protects UK national parks from over-commercialisation – the enforceability of the travel plan and the assessment of the effects on the tranquillity of the landscape.
A spokesman for the landscape charity said: “We hope that the ruling goes our way and that the national park authority is directed to prioritise the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the park.
“If it does go against us, it will take us a step closer to a Lake District of noise, chaos and degraded landscapes. The Lake District’s World Heritage Status would be under threat.”
The site is currently a working quarry operated by Burlington Stone, south west of the village of Elterwater.
The tourism attraction is a partnership between Burlington and operator Zip World.
The approved 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 and visitors would travel from one platform to another via a zipline.
A Lake District National Park Authority spokesman said: “Planning permission for development at Elterwater Quarry was granted on May 3 2024.
“We were made aware in June 2024 that Friends of the Lake District had lodged a claim for judicial review to the High Court in respect of that decision.
“Judicial review is a type of court proceeding in which a judge reviews the lawfulness of a decision by a public body. Judicial reviews examine the way in which a decision has been made, not the merits of the conclusion.
“The authority will not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
