Artist’s impression of new Coniston Mountain Rescue Team base
A Lake District mountain rescue team has taken a major step in plans to redevelop its base.
Coniston Mountain Rescue Team has applied for planning permission to redevelop its HQ.
It said since 1982, its current building had been extended three times, resulting in a disjointed base that was no longer fit for purpose.
In 1982, volunteers carried out 14 rescues. Last year, the team was called out 69 times. So far this year, it has responded to 35 incidents.
Founded in 1947, it was the first team of its kind in the UK.
It said to preserve the heritage of the first civilian volunteer mountain rescue team in the country, and to ensure the effective continuation of a mountain rescue team in the Coniston area, the current building needed a complete redesign.
It has asked the Lake District National Park Authority for permission.
The team said it hoped to create a base that will act as a multi-agency hub during emergencies, such as in the aftermath of Storm Arwen, somewhere the local resilience forum can work from and a place groups can use for meetings.
If the redevelopment gets the go-ahead, the team will continue to operate from a temporary base at the edge of the village.
Artist’s impression of new Coniston Mountain Rescue Team base
Team leader Janice Hamilton said: “This is an exciting development which has been on the drawing board for some time.
“The new building has been designed to make life easier and flow better for both incidents and training and should future proof the team for the next few decades.
Artist’s impression of new Coniston Mountain Rescue Team base
“We’ve worked with Stuart Woodall, of Green Swallow Architects, to create a building that meets our needs now and into the future, sits well and is sympathetic to its environment.
Coniston Mountain Rescue Team’s current base. Picture: Google Streetview
“Also, as it’s on the site of Coniston Railway Station, we have included some features from the station building as well as adopting the colour scheme from The Furness Railway Company for the windows and doors, so as well as functional, it should be a great looking building too.”
The team, which is a voluntary organisation, hopes to raise the cash to pay for the redevelopment.
