Row over Lakes housing and transport scheme

Millions of tourists visit Windermere each year

A row has erupted over a proposal to improve transport and increase housing in the Lake District.

The Windermere Gateway project aims to tackle traffic flow, redevelop the town’s railway station and build affordable homes for local people.

It has been devised by agencies including the National Trust, Westmorland and Furness Council and the Lake District National Park Authority,

But objectors say the plan will cause traffic disruption, destroy natural habitats and have an adverse visual impact.

The Gateway scheme would create 150 homes at a site at Orrest Head Farm on the outskirts of the town.

It would occupy about nine hectares of land and would also mean work to reconfigure the A591 with a new junction and link roads.

Adrian North, a local businessman, said: “People will have driven several hours to get to the Lake District.

"It’s a beautiful area… and the first thing they’re going to see as they enter the Lakes is an estate of little ‘Legoland’ boxes."

But Mike Innerdale, the National Trust's regional director for the North, said: "The idea is the designs will enhance the area."

He added that the trust "wants this to be an iconic site" and one that "attracts people to live and work" in the area.

In May, the Leader of Westmorland and Furness Council Jonathan Brook claimed the project would create a “world-class welcome for visitors arriving in Windermere”.