We are disappointed at the decision to approve the zip wire attraction at Elterwater Quarry and stand with the many members of the community, and others who love this area, who have many concerns about this development.

Whilst we’re pleased that some changes have been made to the detail of the Travel Plan following the concerns raised about increased traffic in the area, we’re still of the view that it is unrealistic to expect people to park at Brockhole near Windermere and then take other forms of transport to reach the site. 

We remain opposed in principle to a major tourist attraction being established in a small community that is already under huge visitor pressure. The area already suffers from congestion and a demand for parking, and even a small increase in traffic will make the problems worse. 

Furthermore, we share the concerns expressed by ICOMOS, an official advisor on the Lake District’s World Heritage Site designation, who have expressed concern about the impact of this type of proposal on the area’s special World Heritage attributes and asked for the decision on this application to be delayed until a strategy is in place to determine what tourism uses are compatible with these. It is deeply concerning that such little weight has been given to the issues they have raised. 

We believe that developments like this, which merely use the landscape as a backdrop, risk the Lake District being stripped of its World Heritage Site designation and fail to further the statutory purposes of National Park designation as is required by law.

Photo: Jonny Gios