Visitor car park rejected over concerns for area

Lingholm Private Trust wanted to build the 150-car facility at Ullock Moss

Plans to build a car park for visitors hiking up a popular fell have been rejected over concerns it could harm the area.

Lingholm Private Trust wanted to build the 150-car facility at Ullock Moss in Portinscale, near Keswick, for day trippers who would then be taken by shuttle bus to Catbells.

Planning officers at the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) said it would "cause harm" to the area and not resolve long-standing issues with inconsiderate parking.

Friends of the Lake District said the project would "set a harmful precedent for car parks in the open countryside", and added it hoped "this would be the last time" planning permission was sought.

Plans would have included felling trees at Ullock Moss to accommodate the facility and toilet block, and creating a turning circle at Cupboard Field, at the foot of the fell.

A report said the project had divided opinions in the community, with 248 letters of objection and 272 in support.

LDNPA officers concluded that the public benefits of the facilities did not outweigh the potential harm to the national park landscape and the World Heritage Site.

Catbells is a popular fell a short distance from Keswick

Objectors included Above Derwent Parish Council, the National Trust and the Woodland Trust.

Friends of the Lake District also opposed the plans over the "impact it would have on the local landscape".

Its objections also focused on the fact that it "would set a harmful precedent for car parks in the open countryside" at a time when the government was trying to move towards more sustainable forms of transport.

Lingholm Private Trust said inconsiderate parking around Catbells meant the road was often reduced to one lane, with emergency vehicles and buses "finding great difficulty" accessing the area.

"Together with the unsightly and stressful impact of the vehicle congestion, it all ultimately contributes to degrading the beauty and tranquillity of this special area," the trust said.

Lorayne Wall, head of planning and policy at Friends of the Lake District, said: "Like many people, we fully recognise the ongoing issues relating to parking and vehicle numbers in the Portinscale and Catbells area, and the need to address these.

"While a new car park might seem the obvious response to parking problems, this is not an appropriate solution."

She said this was the third time planning had been sought for a car park in the area, adding the charity hoped it "would be the last".