NAV4 Adventure A Lake District based provider of ‘Adventure, Safety and Logistics.’ Expand Joe Faulkner formed NAV4 ten years ago to offer training courses for mountain runners and walkers. Our expertise has now stretched to cover an eclectic mix of ‘products’ for individuals, events and businesses. From ‘One-One’ skills tuition and courses across the full range of Fell and Mountaineering activities, through to staging eco-friendly events as well as providing support to other event providers across the UK. NAV4 provides highly qualified and experienced ‘Pro-Tech Safety staff’ as well as ‘TLC’ - Tea & Cake on a Mountain, Soup in a Field....as sampled by Friends of the Lake DIstrict! A long career living and working out of the Lake District, including time as a LDNP board member and Local Access Forum Member, has given me a comprehensive understanding of the Lakes complex issues underpinned by a passion for protecting the environment and communities for the future. Joe Faulkner www.nav4.co.uk @nav4adventure
Milburn Grange Holidays We provide a choice of seven self-catering holiday cottages in the beautiful unspoilt Eden Valley in Cumbria – The Lake District. Expand We provide a choice of seven self-catering holiday cottages in the beautiful unspoilt Eden Valley in Cumbria – The Lake District. “Milburn Grange Holiday Cottages have been providing self-catering cottage accommodation for guests visiting Cumbria and the Lake District for many years. It is important that we and the wider tourism industry work closely with Friends of the Lake District to protect this important and sensitive area for the future enjoyment of both visitors and residents alike.” www.milburngrange.co.uk
Inspired by Lakeland Inspired by Lakeland creates beautiful books and gifts inspired by the Lake District. Expand Inspired by Lakeland publishes beautiful books inspired by the wild places of Britain, including the Lake District, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and The Cotswolds. Explore panoramic scenes with stickers and activities or challenge yourself with their Quiz books, each containing more than 600 wicked questions, unlikely facts, essential figures and pointless trivia about the region. www.inspiredbylakeland.co.uk
Ellergreen Hydro Ltd Consenting, design and delivery of hydro power plants in Cumbria that set the standard for quality, low impact and sympathy to the local surroundings. Expand Consenting, design and delivery of hydro power plants in Cumbria that set the standard for quality, low impact and sympathy to the local surroundings. “We support the Friends of the Lake District as the organisation ensures long term goals are met for our future generations.” www.ellergreen.com/hydro/
Designworks Designworks is a creative agency based in Kendal. We provide design, digital and marketing services. Expand Designworks is a creative agency based in Kendal. We provide design, digital and marketing services. Through our work we support businesses and organisations that raise awareness of environmental and ethical issues. We’ve worked with Friends of the Lake District for many years and value their work in protecting the Lake District, which is now recognised as a World Heritage Site. www.thedesignworks.co.uk
Cotswold Outdoor We are pleased to support Friends of the Lake District by giving all members a 15% discount at all Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need stores, in-store and online. Expand We are pleased to support Friends of the Lake District by giving all members a 15% discount at all Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need stores, in-store and online. You will receive your discount code with your membership card. www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/
Conservation Chemicals Consultants Ltd We make special varnishes to beautifully conserve natural decorative materials such as wooden worktops and slate floors. Expand We make special varnishes to beautifully conserve natural decorative materials such as wooden worktops and slate floors. ‘We support Friends of the Lake District because they work tirelessly to protect the landscape of the Lake District that we love. They fight planning issues, promote ecological diversity, educate locals and tourists alike and much more; amazing for a relatively small charity. I’ve always thought that every penny is well spent with Friends of the Lake District.’ https://www.conservationchemicals.com/
Cicerone Press Ltd Guidebooks for walkers, mountaineers, trekkers, climbers and cyclists Expand Guidebooks for walkers, mountaineers, trekkers, climbers and cyclists. “Our guidebooks bring many years’ walking experience to the hills and fells of the Lake District. By supporting Friends of the Lake District, it allows us to give something back, helping us to contribute to the care of the precious beauty of the Lakes.” www.cicerone.co.uk Cicerone also kindly provide a 20% discount for members of Friends of the Lake District. Discount codes are sent out with your membership card. If you would like to use the discount but haven't had yours yet or have misplaced it please get in touch with us.
Press Release: 23rd Feb 2021: Undermining Plans for a Sustainable Future It is imperative that we do not undermine the opportunity for a more sustainable future by continuing with a business-as-usual ad-hoc approach to the localised parking problems that impact on many of our communities.” Expand A proposed car park at Ullock Moss, near Portinscale continues to capture the attention of locals and visitors alike. The proposal has polarised an argument between an urgent need for parking and pressing traffic problems at the foot of the popular Cat Bells walk and the Lake District National Park Authority’s own vision for Smarter Travel in the Lake District. Many responses have already been submitted to this planning application, including from local residents of Portinscale and landscape charity Friends of the Lake District who recognise the need for parking and traffic issues to be addressed in the location, close to the major tourist hub of Keswick, but do not view the proposal as an acceptable or appropriate solution. Their concern is that a car park will set a precedent which could have a major bearing on the wider future of the Lake District, what it will look like and what it will become. Importantly, the proposal is in direct conflict with the LDNPA’s own planning policies relating to the location of new car parks and when they would be allowed. This includes current policies and, to an even greater degree, those in their new Local Plan, which is expected to come into force imminently. It also conflicts with the National Park Management Plan and the vision for Smarter Travel in the Park. These all establish that reducing travel by car to, from and within the Park is a top priority alongside providing a range of integrated, sustainable travel options. This would address carbon emissions and allow the LDNPA to meet their Statutory Duty to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Park. Lorayne Wall, Planning Officer at Friends of the Lake District said: “Allowing a new car park in this location threatens to set back plans for sustainable travel and a low-carbon Lake District before they even get started. Instead, we are urging the LDNPA to stick to its plans and policies and follow the lead of Snowdonia National Park in implementing them. “Traffic, parking issues and carbon emissions continue to rise and it is imperative that we do not undermine the opportunity for a more sustainable future by continuing with a business-as-usual ad-hoc approach to the localised parking problems that impact on many of our communities.” The car park at Ullock Moss was first in operation during summer 2020 under ‘permitted development’ rules. These normally allow land to be used for car parking without planning permission for 28 days. However, this was extended to 56 days in light of COVID-19 as an emergency measure in response to the influx of visitors experienced when lockdown #1 was lifted. Several temporary car parks were created in the open countryside under the relaxation of these rules. Many in opposition to the Ullock Moss proposal want the LDNPA to send a clear message that proposals to make permanent any temporary car parks allowed under the currently relaxed permitted development rules will not automatically be looked upon favourably and will require the same scrutiny as any other new proposal under the strict criteria set out in the Local Plan. Comments on the proposal can be submitted to the Lake District National Park Authority via its website until a decision is made (likely to be 5th May at the earliest). You’ll find details of the application by searching for application reference number 7/2020/2291 at www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/planning/planning-application-search-tool
Summary of our comments on this proposal: Cat Bells - Ullock Moss Car Park Proposals A summary of our comment to date on this proposal. This may help to inform your response and the content of your letter to the planning authority Expand 4th February 2021 Like many people, we fully recognise the ongoing and growing 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, the proposed 150-space permanent car park for Cat Bells at Ullock Moss, south of Portinscale, near Keswick, is not an appropriate solution for a number of reasons. Key reasons we have taken this approach are: The Lake District National Park Authority’s (LDNPA) own clearly stated vision for sustainable transport in the national park hinges on reducing car-based visits and use of more sustainable modes of travel to, from and around the national park. A new car park in open countryside will undermine this plan. The LDNPA’s own planning policies (current and proposed) require that new car parks are only permitted when they are a proven and integral part of a strategic plan for sustainable travel in the area and meet certain other criteria. This proposal is not part of a strategic plan and does not meet the other criteria. The proposal will necessitate and encourage cars to travel through Portinscale village, exacerbating rather than helping to resolve issues there. The proposal is reliant on some measures being agreed and implemented by other parties and there is no assurance of this. A new car park and shuttle bus terminus would not conserve and enhance the character and special qualities and attributes of the National Park and World Heritage Site, including tranquillity, as is required by planning policy and legislation. Please note: regardless of the outcome of the planning application, the temporary car park could re-open this year for up to 56 days without planning permission under national permitted development rights. We have set these out in our letter of objection to the plans and urge our members and supporters to do the same. You can read it here: Ullock Moss response (pdf) Comments on the proposal can be made to the Lake District National Park Authority until a decision is made (likely to be 5th May at the earliest). Please quote application reference number 7/2020/2291. Further instructions for commenting on planning proposals are available here. 20th January 2021 Before Christmas a planning application was submitted to the Lake District National Park for a new car park at Ullock Moss, south of Portinscale, close to Catbells. The area had been used for temporary parking last summer. The applicants had carried out some pre-application consultation at the time and we made our concerns clear at the time which can be seen in our initial response.Members and supporters may wish to look at and comment on the application. Comments can be accepted up until the 5th March. The application can be viewed on the Park Authority website.Follow this link and enter planning reference number 7/2020/2291 in the search box to view the latest information for this proposal on the Park Authority website. 29th July 2020 We have today submitted a written response to the consultation Ullock Moss, Portinscale Car Park. We very much welcome the principle of managing the situation around access to Catbells and in principle may support the idea of park and ride type proposals. However, we think there are a number of issues around this particular location. Read our full response here> 29th June 2020 A pre application consultation is being carried out by Crosby Granger Architects for a proposed car park at Ullock Moss, Portinscale. We think the proposal raises concerns around the principle of a car park at this location, how this fits with planning policy and potential landscape impacts upon the site and its surroundings. We will be looking carefully at the proposal and responding accordingly. The link below provides information on the proposal and a link to survey monkey for your views. The consultation runs until 31 July. https://www.crosbygrangerarchitects.co.uk/ullockmoss/
Rob Fraser Professional Photographer Expand Rob has been a professional photographer for over 30 years and moved to Cumbria in 2003 to be closer to the landscape that he loves. He has worked all over the world and his images have been exhibited widely and published in numerous magazines.He works as a freelance location specialist as well as a collaborative arts practitioner with his wife Harriet (somewhere-nowhere.com). Their next major project, The Long View, will focus on seven lone trees spread across Cumbria and will culminate in a touring exhibition in 2017. "The continuing work of Friends of the Lake District is vital to protect this much-loved and inspiring landscape. Their balanced voice helps ensure that it can continue to evolve in a way that is sympathetic to the needs of local communities and the tourists, as well as the environment itself."
Alternative Solutions These are specific solutions for this area that are already set out by the LDNPA as part of a wider Smarter Travel plan for the whole of the National Park. Expand These are specific solutions for this area that are already set out by the LDNPA as part of a wider Smarter Travel plan for the whole of the National Park. This is the plan that should be implemented instead of developing new car parks. Coordinated efforts between the LDNPA, their partners and relevant agencies to push forward the delivery of the existing vision for a more strategic and sustainable approach to visitor and traffic management in the LDNP, including increasing the role of Keswick as a transport interchange hub; Use of double yellow lines/clearways with appropriate controlled gaps/exceptions for exclusive use of users of locals, businesses and community facilities; Closure of the roads in the area around Catbells, in accordance with its designation as a ‘Traffic Managed Area’ in the Management Plan, Smarter Travel Plan and forthcoming Local Plan, including limiting exceptions for cars to those with mobility issues, residents, deliveries (including tradespeople with jobs in the area) Enhancing the service and incentivising use of the existing 77 bus; the boat services from Keswick; the Cumbria Way and other footpaths; and cycling as modes of travel between Keswick and the Catbells area
Cumbria's flooding events Cumbria's floods in 2015 and 2019 were the worst for 558 years (from sediment analysis on the bed of Bassenthwaite). Expand Cumbria’s flooding events in 2015 and 2019 were the worst for 558 years (from sediment analysis on the bed of Bassenthwaite). On 5 December 2015 the most destructive storm ever recorded in Cumbria struck, washing away numerous bridges, and even roads, devastating towns and villages and flooding 50,000 homes in Cumbria (see our Rising film for the story of Storm Desmond in Glenridding). Following that devastating day, we launched our Cumbria Flood appeal, to raise money to help the restoration operation. We've rounded up some of the news and events following the storm, the projects we've helped to fund and activities we've organised; all designed to help with the recovery and to improve resilience for future events. Read it here. Read more: Storm Desmond: study says flooding was 'largest in 600 years' Floods in 2009 and 2015 were worst in Cumbria for centuries – study Read more about Friends of the Lake District's work on flooding issues in the Five years since Storm Desmond
Crosthwaite Expand 17th October 2018 We recently responded to consultation on a proposal for 5 dwellings at Crosthwaite. Crosthwaite has seen significant housing development for a village its size recently and is also under consideration for approximately 50 more in the Lake District National Park Authority’s Local Plan Review. We expressed our concern that this is resulting in overdevelopment as well as about the type and size of housing proposed on this scheme, the need for it and the design. Read our response.
Threlkeld housing applications Expand Update 4th April 2019 We were very pleased to learn that the application for 8 houses on Blease Road, Threlkeld has now been refused on landscape and residential amenity grounds. We objected to this application on the basis of harm to landscape character and visual amenity, including cumulative impacts with other developments and conflict with local and national policy and guidance. The refusal follows a second attempt to get the scheme through. You can read our second response in full here: Second Response A resubmitted proposal for the 3 dwellings at Station Road was allowed following some revisions to the scheme. Update 17th October 2018 We recently responded to consultation on two applications for housing developments in Threlkeld. There have been several applications for housing development in Threlkeld recently and here too we feel that this represents an overdevelopment of the village. We are pleased to see that one of the proposals (the 3 dwellings at Station Road) has been withdrawn and we await news on the second proposal.September 2018 Threlkeld village has seen something of a bombardment of planning applications lately and we have key concerns about the cumulative impacts of these as well as the landscape and settlement character impacts of the individual proposals. This one concerns 8 houses at Blease Road, and 3 local needs houses at Station Road. See our response here.
Woodland proposals, Coniston Fells We have been consulted on a significant tree planting scheme on the Coniston, Dunnerdale and Seathwaite Commons as part of a Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Expand We have been consulted on a significant tree planting scheme on the Coniston, Dunnerdale and Seathwaite Commons as part of a Countryside Stewardship Scheme. At first sight these involved a huge amount of fencing to enable wood pasture creation and scrub planting. However after a site visit with Natural England and more understanding of fence locations, discussions about removal, etc, we are able to support the proposals. The scheme will only cover the proposed woodland areas and so will have minimal impacts on the cultural heritage of communal grazing and hefted flocks. The density of scrub planting is fairly low, and due to the terrain, most of the fences will be largely hidden. Most of the issues with schemes such as these are to do with the fencing, rather than the planting and the key is often to get the planting done properly, ie in clumps, avoiding the crags and sight lines of features such as crags and waterfalls, higher points, and ensuring the fencing contractor is sensitive to the landscape and does not just use as many straight lines as possible. As ever with fence proposals, we have suggested a 10 year permission to coincide with the Scheme length, and have asked for firm written agreements about who will take responsibility for the maintenance, guards and final fence removal, also that some money is being put aside to pay for eventual fence removal. This will be a condition of any agreement we may give. A month after the above, screening proposals came in for 2.4km of new fencing to enable 500ha of wood pasture creation on Blake Rigg and around Greenburn as part of a Countryside Stewardship Scheme for Tilberthwaite Farm. Alas the majority of fencing proposed is permanent and there has been little assessment of impacts on landscape and WHS Outstanding Universal Value. Whilst welcoming the wood pasture, we have raised concerns about a number of other issues.
Water Resources West : Initial Resource Position Expand Water Resources West is developing a long-term plan for water resources in the north-west of England, the Midlands and the cross-border catchments with Wales. Water Resources West (WRW) is a new partnership of UU, Severn Trent Water, South Staffs Water, and Welsh Water looking to provide strategic oversight and co-ordination of water resources matters across the river catchments of the North West of England, Midlands and the cross-border river systems with Wales. This will ensure the sustainability of water resources in these catchments. It will also support activity aimed at enabling water resource resilience across England and Wales, including promoting the development of a long-term strategic plan for water transfers as required by Govn. They have published a preliminary view of the region’s water needs and their ambitions. They estimate that by 2050 an additional 166 million litres per day will be needed for public water supplies, an additional 41 million litres per day needed for other abstractors. There are significant uncertainties in these forecasts but the ambition is to make water resources better in the future extends to wellbeing, environmental improvement, economic growth, resilience and water demand management. The document explores the challenges to address, and methods for producing a plan that meets these needs. They set out their initial resource position, the strategic context and proposed methodology. They have asked for feedback on the document. A focus of the work is increased resilience to severe drought and companies are increasingly being asked to look at water trading as a solution to this. No deficits are predicted for the UU region, but across the whole area, the largest increases by sector are predicted for agriculture. We submitted comments answering 6 questions posed. We highlighted the lack of reference to cultural heritage in the document and our concern that national water transfers may have negative impacts for the landscape in future. We reiterated that we would object to any more water being taken from Cumbria to service a national network unless all demand measures possible had been put into place and more sustainable options. We pointed to increasing tensions between reservoirs needing to be full of water to supply customers, but community groups wanting them to be drawn down to provide head room for water storage in times of high rainfall.
Whinlatter Forest Plan consultation Friends of the Lake District welcome the opportunity to comment on this third Whinlatter Forest Plan. We are particularly appreciative of a meeting held with Forestry Commission on 8th November. Expand 12th November 2018 Friends of the Lake District welcome the opportunity to comment on this third Whinlatter Forest Plan. We are particularly appreciative of a meeting held with Forestry Commission on 8th November which helped clarify certain matters. This is a huge area of upland forest with many landscape challenges. Reviewing the comments we have made to the previous plans shows that there has been considerable progress in resolving some of the issues of earlier plans. These include :- Changes to coupe shape to reduce landscape impacts, eg the reduction in skylining around Widow Hause, changing patterns on the slopes of Grisedale Pike and changes at Darling How and Hobcarton. Commitment to restore the PAWS sites with native broadleaves. Inclusion of more native woodland. There are a number of generic issues on which we have commented, plus specific comments on individual sections of the plan. See Whinlatter FDP response nov 18 (pdf) for our detailed response. Have your say The Forestry Commission is consulting on their plans for Whinlatter Forest. All their forests have woodland plans and when these are revised they are open for public consultation. This is the third plan for Whinlatter and can be viewed at: https://englandconsult.forestry.gov.uk/forest-districts/whinlatter2018 Friends of the Lake District is currently considering the plan. Our response is likely to focus on the following issues: The shape of proposed forest compartments, could they be improved to fit better in the landscape? The species mix – opportunities for more broadleaved cover to enhance the landscape? Impacts of proposals on current areas of open fell Proposals for felling and restocking Future aspirations re further visitor infrastructure and development Whether enough consideration is given to landscape character Recognition of positive impacts already achieved or planned, eg compartment shapes There is no direct reference to the gondola proposals in the plan. However, their future aspirations do refer to future developments at the site, including a new osprey viewpoint above Thornthwaite, and exploring “innovative transport solutions”. We would urge anyone who is concerned about the potential proposals to respond to the plan. Once we have written our response, we will put it on our website here. Forest Enterprise (England) is part of the Forestry Commission and manages the public forest estate in Cumbria. It is in the process of revising the Whinlatter Forest Plan which outlines how it intends to manage the woodland into the future and the plan, which is currently at a draft stage, is available for public consultation. They welcome public comments on the plan. View the plan by following the link below: https://englandconsult.forestry.gov.uk/forest-districts/whinlatter2018 Comments can be made using the online form/questionnaire in the above link. The consultation will be open from Tuesday 11th September for 28 days.
NWCC Cumbria Pylons project dropped by National Grid Expand 22 November 2018: NWCC Pylons project dropped by National GridFriends of the Lake District is pleased to see that the threat of 400kV powerlines and associated pylons through and around the Lake District National Park has at least for the moment been halted as National Grid pulls back from the North West Coast Connections project. The proposal to connect a proposed nuclear power station at Moorside on the west Cumbrian Coast was always going to prove very technically difficult and expensive for National Grid because the power cables would need to pass through or around the Lake District National Park as well as potentially causing damaging the Arnside and Silverdale and Solway Coast AONBs. We worked closely with National Grid to persuade them to protect the Lake District from damage by pylons. Whilst we were successful in encouraging National Grid to underground cables within the Lake District, they still proposed to erect 50-60m tall pylons just metres outside the National Park boundary. It is therefore a relief that the project has at least for the time being been dropped. We understand that Moorside is still on the Government’s list of proposed nuclear power plant sites, so we will obviously keep a close eye on plans for the site and 400kV grid connections. We do hope that if it comes forward again that common sense prevails and that powerlines will be kept outside of the nationally and internationally protected landscape of the Lake District. Friends of the Lake District would like to thank everyone who supported our campaigns in 2014 and 2016 including those who donated and those who took the time to write letters to National Grid. We will be keeping you informed of any further developments. 17th May 2017 National Grid NWCC Plans On Hold Yesterday we were contacted by National Grid who let us know that they are putting their work on NWCC on hold due to uncertainty over the future of the Moorside nuclear power station project. NuGEN are undertaking a "strategic review" of their project, and looking for a new funder as Toshiba are pulling their backing due to financial problems. This means that there is no current need case at the moment for a grid link. National Grid have stated: "In line with NuGen’s review, we are pausing work on our connection. This will ensure we can align our plans both for the application for consent and the development of the infrastructure itself.” You can read more about this pause here in the News and Star, and see Grid's official statement here. As yet, we don't know what this will mean for the project and its impact on the Lake District National Park, but we will obviously be keeping a close watch on what happens next. 23rd February 2017 Ofgem Consultation on the Need for North West Coast Connections Friends of the Lake District commented on a consultation from Ofgem the energy regulator which asked: "In this consultation we have set out our initial views on National Grid’s North West Coast Connections project which would connect a proposed new nuclear power station in Cumbria to the main transmission network in Great Britain. This document covers three broad assessment areas: Whether we think there is a technical need for the project. How NGET has narrowed down the option it has taken forward to its planning consultation. Whether the project, or sections of it, are suitable for competitive tender. This consultation is aimed at parties interested in our views on the first project we have assessed under both of these frameworks, including potential bidders, incumbent network operators, interested consumer groups, as well as other relevant stakeholders." Click here to see a copy of our response 6th January 2017 Friends of the Lake District made its response to the NWCC consultation. You can read it here. Click to see document Thank you to everyone who has contacted National Grid with your concerns. As of 2pm there have been more than 2270 letters written to National Grid via the website and we know of plenty more people who have written separately. Hopefully we can stop National Grid spoiling the Duddon Estuary and the Furness peninsula pictured above.
Agriculture Bill Parliamentary Briefing We welcome the Agriculture Bill which will make payments for the delivery of public goods, and cease area support payments simply for owning land. Expand 28th November 2018 Full text of our briefing and comments is available at this link:Friends of the Lake District briefing and comments Headlines Friends of the Lake District welcomes the Agriculture Bill which will make payments for the delivery of public goods, and cease area support payments simply for owning land. However, we wish to see landscape specifically listed as a public benefit and also the Bill make it a duty rather than a power to make payments for public goods (thereby ensuring it happens and not just may happen if desired). We have concerns that the Bill as drafted is not sufficiently robust to secure the desired benefits for our landscape, natural and cultural heritage (including common land), our rural and upland communities and those who live and work within them. We also welcome payments for cultural and natural heritage, providing public access and enabling young farmers, and the clarity on the length of the transition period (until 2027) giving farmers and land managers more confidence to make plans to adjust and adapt. However, it is still unclear what the overall budget will be and if there will be enough money to deliver healthy landscapes and communities. S11 of the Bill covers rural development and there are references in the policy statement to the value of traditional farming in upland areas, but it is not clear how these areas will be supported.
MOD Warcop Common Inquiry We are shocked and saddened for the precedent that this recommendation sets for the future of all of our common land. Expand 6th December 2018 At Cumbria County Council's Development Committee Meeting held on December 6th in Kendal, 11 members voted in favour, 1 against and 1 abstention to accept the Inspectors report and recommendation. The outcome of the Inquiry and this decision are hugely important. Not just because these commons represent 1% of our stock of common land in England - 3,200ha will now be deregistered - but because of the precedent that this sets for all of our common land. 3rd December 2018 Cumbria County Council is likely to agree to the Ministry of Defence’s application to deregister Hilton, Murton and Warcop Commons at its Development Committee Meeting on December 6th in Kendal, despite the MoD’s previous undertaking that they would never seek to do so. This undertaking was given at an inquiry in 2001 into the MoD’s request to compulsory purchase all the common rights on Warcop, Hilton and Murton Commons. This move was to allow them more flexibility in their training and to intensify their use of the land. The Inspector appointed to conduct a recent inquiry held by Cumbria County Council into the MOD’s applications to deregister these Commons has recommended in favour of the MOD. Jan Darrall, Policy Officer, “We are shocked and saddened for the precedent that this recommendation sets and for the future of all of our common land. We are deeply concerned about the outlook for Warcop, Hilton and Murton commons as there will now be very few restraints on the MOD there. “The inquiry was complex but the consequences of deregistration are simple enough and illustrate why we have fought so hard to oppose this application. Access: The three commons of Warcop, Hilton and Murton amount to 3% of Cumbria’s common land. A decision to deregister these commons puts their cultural heritage at risk and gives the MOD discretion to deny local use. We believe that our rich common land should remain for all to enjoy. Protection: The land will lose protection against encroachment and development since works on common land require the consent of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in addition to any planning permission. Heritage: It will bring to an end hundreds of years of tradition of upland communing. The farming community, which used to have vital grazing rights over this land, will now be denied any opportunity in future to graze their stock there.” The application will be presented to the Development Control and Regulation Committee on Thursday 6th December for consideration, but opponents expect the Committee to adopt the Inspector’s recommendation to remove common land status from the historic commons of Warcop, Hilton and Murton (a small area of Murton Common called ‘Area Victor’ will be excluded from the Committee’s decision on 6th December and will retain its common land status). Cumbria County Council as Commons Registration appointed Alan Evans from Kings Chambers, Leeds to conduct the Inquiry. The MoD, led by QC David Elvin had a six strong team. The lead opponents were the Open Spaces Society who appointed QC George Laurence. Other objectors included ourselves, Foundation for Common Land, Federation of Cumbrian Commoners, Hilton Commoners Association and Murton Parish Council. 18th October 2018: Inquiry to reconvene on 30th October 2018 The Warcop Inquiry reconvenes on 30th October for four days. This is to discuss the second issue, namely are the Warcop commons still waste of the lord of the manor? The MOD are arguing that they are not. We, together with partners the Open Spaces Society, the Foundation for Common Land, and the Hilton Commoners are arguing they are no different in character to most of our upland commons and remain waste of the lord of the manor. Proof follows: Further evidence of the Friends of the Lake District in relation to the issue of Waste of Lord of the Manor (pdf) 8th October 2018: Online Petition 'Prevent the MOD removing Cumbria fells from the Commons Register'. Despite an undertaking by the Secretary of State, made after a public enquiry in 2001, that the fells would remain on the Commons Register in perpetuity. The MOD are attempting the biggest LAND GRAB of common land since the 1800's. The Fells in question, Murton Fell CL76, Hilton Fell CL27 and Burton and Warcop Fell CL122 form part of the Warcop MOD training area. In 2003 the MOD purchased the grazing rights from the commoners. Part of the agreement reached was that the fells would remain on the Commons Register. Now they have cancelled that part of the agreement. Our argument is that it is not legally possible to cancel part of a multiparty agreement, without the other parties consenting, which they do not. Sign this petition> Warcop Common update 25 Sept 2018In 2001 an inquiry was held into the desire of the Ministry of Defence (M0D) to compulsory purchase all the common rights on Warcop, Hilton and Murton Commons to enable them to have more flexibility in their training and intensify use. The MoD also gave an undertaking that they would never seek to deregister the land as common land. That is exactly what they are now trying to do and something we, and other partners strongly oppose.Cumbria County Council as Commons Registration Authority held a Public Inquiry to consider the applications in early September. They appointed Alan Evans from Kings Chambers, Leeds to conduct the Inquiry. The MoD, led by QC David Elvin had a six strong team. The lead opponents were the Open Spaces Society who appointed QC George Laurence. Other objectors included ourselves, Foundation for Common Land, Federation of Cumbrian Commoners, Hilton Commoners Association and Murton Parish Council. You can read our skeleton argument below: We are strongly opposed to this huge area being lost as common land.This is a very complex and legal issue. The Inspector can only hear arguments that are relevant to the legislation under which CCC have to determine the applications. So although many of us feel the MoD are going back on their previous undertakings and this is causing a lack of trust, etc, he cannot take account of these arguments. He was however very generous in that he was willing to listen to all evidence, even if he could only take account of some of it!The Inquiry focused on two key issues. Firstly the legal ‘power’ issue. Does the legislation give the MoD the power to make this application given the nature of the vesting deed which was to extinguish rights (not purchase the soil). The MoD are saying that because all the commons rights were extinguished by a Vesting deed on 31st March 2003 the land then ceased to be common land and they want it to be removed from the Register. The Open Spaces Society, ourselves and others argue that the Vesting Deed only related to the extinguishment of the rights and nothing else, certainly nothing pertaining to the land and therefore the applications should fail.However, if the MoD win their argument, another issue comes into play and that is whether the land remains waste of the Lord of the Manor. For land to be deregistered it must both have no rights of common and no longer be waste of the manor (unoccupied, open and uncultivated).The Inquiry will reconvene on the 30th October to consider the Waste of the Manor Issue. We are now working hard with partners to gather our evidence together on this issue.The Inspector will make his recommendations to Cumbria County Council, who need to make a decision before 14th December 2018 when the four year "transitional period" for updating the registers ends.The Inquiry has had significant press coverage in both national papers and on the television. Update 23 August 2018Cumbria County Council has announced a two day public inquiry into the applications by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to deregister Hilton, Murton and Warcop Commons, near Appleby in Westmorland. These commons represent 3% of the stock of common land in England. 15 years ago the MoD applied to extinguish the common rights over the land to give them more control and flexibility. At that time, they stated categorically that they would not apply to deregister the land as common land. This is now precisely what they have done, with little or no evidence as to why. The applications are strongly opposed by ourselves, the Open Spaces Society (OSS), the Foundation for Common Land, the Federation of Cumbrian Commoners, and the local residents. The inquiry will take place on 12 – 13 September and will be Barrister led. It will only focus on the legal issues surrounding the applications. This is very complex and the OSS has engaged their own Barrister to present their case which we support. There are issues of principle at stake here, namely the fact that the applications are completely at odds with Government policy on common land, that the MoD expressly undertook not to deregister the commons, and also that we believe the applications do not meet the legislative requirements. Read more MOD proposal to deregister Warcop, Hilton, Murton and Burton commons Cumbria Commons face biggest threat since Enclosure movement
Biodiversity Net Gain Consultation Read our response to the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, which promises that any development taking place would provide an environmental net gain in order to try and address the loss of wildlife in England. Expand The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan published last year promised that any development taking place would provide an environmental net gain in order to try and address the loss of wildlife in England. To proceed towards this aim, the government recently consulted on applying biodiversity net gain to the planning process. The Government states in the consultation that: An effective net gain policy could enable us to build the houses, commercial premises and local infrastructure we need and at the same time improve our environment by more than compensating for biodiversity loss where it cannot be avoided or mitigated. In theory, this looks like it could be a really great policy, but in practise there are a number of issues that we have concerns about. Firstly, some habitats are just irreplaceable because of their complexity, the length of time taken to establish or due to changed climatic conditions. This group of habitats includes ancient woodland, limestone pavement, sand dunes and heathland. We are concerned that developers will be able to develop these sites using net gain as a convenient excuse to do so. Secondly, habitats sit within a specific place in the landscape because of the underlying conditions geology, soil, rainfall and aspect provide. Habitats need to be understood within their landscape context, where they are part of the landscape fabric which helps local ecosystems to function and species to move through it. Net gain appears to forget this fact, and the consultation talks about biodiversity “units” or “credits” as if it were possible to just move an area of habitat from one place to another with no ill effects. Thirdly, there is a grave concern that there won’t be adequate resources provided to local authorities and Natural England to oversee any scheme. With no oversight of the scheme, developers won’t be held to account, and species will be lost and habitats will be replaced with inferior, less biodiverse wildlife. Fourthly, we are very surprised that the Government is only supporting biodiversity net grain rather than environmental net gain such as enhancing tranquillity, reducing flood risk, carbon sequestration, and access improvements. We consider that this is a missed opportunity on the basis that enhancing biodiversity in many cases also works towards other net gains, such as tree planting increasing carbon sequestration, and reinstating water meadows helping with flood risk reduction. We, along with a number of other organisations (including CPRE) have provided detailed responses to this consultation. You can read ours here.
Conservation Covenants Defra recently consulted upon proposals to establish conservation covenants. These would enable landowners and managers to enter into long term covenants to deliver a range of conservation and environmental benefits. Read our response to the consultation. Expand 21st March 2019 Defra recently consulted upon proposals to establish conservation covenants. These would enable landowners and managers to enter into long term covenants to deliver a range of conservation and environmental benefits. Overview 1. Leaving our environment in a better state than we found it for future generations to enjoy requires long-term investment and stability. Where land owners seek to secure positive environmental outcomes they have no adequate mechanism to secure those benefits over the long term. We need a new legal tool – conservation covenants. 2. A conservation covenant is a private, voluntary agreement between a landowner and a “responsible” body, such as a conservation charity, government body or a local authority. It delivers lasting conservation benefit for the public good. A covenant sets out obligations in respect of the land which will be legally binding not only on the landowner but on subsequent owners of the land. Consultation description We want to know what you think about our plans to introduce legislation for conservation covenants in England. Conservation covenants would allow landowners to set legally binding obligations on their land for themselves and subsequent owners. This will allow landowners to secure environmental benefits for the long term. In particular, we want to hear what you think about the: 1. demand and potential for conservation covenants to secure lasting conservation for the public good 2. safeguards 3. Law Commission proposals, with our proposed amendments View a copy of Friends of the Lake District's submission to this consultation, submitted 21st March 2019 More information about the consultation is available on the DEFRA website at: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-management/conservation-covenants/
Windermere Ferry Price increase We are dismayed that Cumbria County Council has increased fares for foot passengers and cyclists by 100% on the Windermere Ferry, while fares for cars and trailers or caravans have only increased by 12%. Expand We are dismayed that Cumbria County Council has increased the fares for foot passengers and cyclists by 100% on the Windermere Ferry, while the fares for cars and car plus trailer or caravan have only increased by 12%. In a time of increasing awareness of the perils of climate change and the pollution caused by vehicles, we think they should encouraging sustainable forms of transport such as walking and cycling not financially favouring cars.The new fares will make it more expensive for a group of three cyclists to use the ferry than it would to take their car across the lake with the bikes attached to the back. A family of five may as well take their car on the ferry rather than travel as pedestrians as the cost will be the same.This decision to significantly increase prices for cyclists and pedestrians is likely to mean more cars on the narrow, winding roads on the west shores of Windermere; an area really not capable of accommodating an increase in vehicular traffic. At a time when two of the local authorities in Cumbria have declared Climate Emergency, if Cumbria County Council was seriously committed to reducing climate change impacts, it would ensure that travelling by foot or bike on the Windermere Ferry was less expensive than by car. We urge the County Council to reconsider the price rises for pedestrians and cyclists in order to make these sustainable travel modes more attractive to visitors to the Lake District. Read our letter to Cumbria Council here Old prices: New prices:
New road A66 consultation Highways England is currently carrying out a public consultation about making the A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner a dual carriageway. The consultation closes on 11th July. Expand 11th July 2019 We have today submitted our full written response to the A66 Northern Trans Pennine Upgrade Consultation. We have summarised some of our key points below. Our full written response to the consultation can be viewed by clicking on the image below. Friends of the Lake District (FLD) is concerned that upgrading the A66 to a dual carriageway for its entire length from Penrith to Scotch Corner will make it more difficult to secure a sustainable future for Cumbria’s landscapes. In addition to potential landscape damage, research shows that the scheme will almost certainly cause ‘induced traffic’ (additional traffic generated by the road scheme itself)1 and increase traffic speeds. Friends of the Lake District recognises there are black spots where collisions occur on the A66 but we believe these can be addressed by local safety measures and junction realignment and reconfiguration rather than by dualling the whole length of the road. We are concerned that this possibility has not been considered, as it is not on the list of options looked at and discounted. The consultation document is very brief for a project of this size. It makes many assertions not supported by accompanying evidence. We therefore have a number of queries concerning some of the claims made in the document. These include: A statement of case for why this road upgrade is actually needed. Whether a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out looking at junction upgrades for safety reasons, but no dualling. A list of benefits and whether they will outweigh the environmental costs (including increased greenhouse gas emissions) How certain are Highways England that the proposed road scheme will not produce induced traffic; and How the scheme fits with a net zero carbon UK by 2050. As Friends of the Lake District is CPRE’s representative in Cumbria, our area of interest stretches to the boundary of the County, and we will not comment on the proposed upgrade outside of Cumbria. 30th April 2019 Highways England is carrying out a public consultation about making the A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner a dual carriageway. The consultation closes on 11th July. These proposals involve widening some sections of the A66 which are currently single carriageway, and in other places such as Kirkby Thore, completely rerouting the road. The consultation can be found online at https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/cip/a66-northern-trans-pennine/ If you'd like to respond to the consultation, and would like a guide as to what to say, these are the key points we will be making: Friends of the Lake District does not consider that upgrading the A66 to a dual carriageway for its entire length from Penrith to Scotch Corner is in line with the actions needed to secure a sustainable future for Cumbria’s landscapes. There would be significant damaging impacts to the landscape and environment of Cumbria and the North Pennines. This damage includes harm to protected landscapes; loss of habitats, flora and fauna; increases in noise, light and air pollution and issues with flooding and run-off. In addition, more traffic using the road and increased traffic speeds will increase the emissions of greenhouse gases from traffic, contributing to the climate emergency which the UK Government has pledged to address by reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Studies carried out over many years have demonstrated that building new roads, widening roads or upgrading roads to dual carriageway induces additional road use by bringing more vehicles onto the road that wouldn’t have otherwise used it. Any respite from congestion provided by a new or widened road is temporary, before the cycle starts again. Provision of more road capacity does not deliver a stable situation: the more capacity is increased, the more capacity increases are ‘needed’. (https://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/transport/roads/item/4543-the-end-of-the-road-challenging-the-road-building-consensus) We consider that safety on the A66 could be significantly improved without making it dual carriageway by, for example, imposing lower speed limits on the most dangerous stretches of the road, including using average speed cameras to enforce the limits. Along with speed reduction, safety could be improved by the addition of features such as underpasses or bridges to replace farm crossings so that farm traffic no longer has to cross the road (in particular the provision of a bridge across the road at Kirkby Thore to enable HGV traffic from the British Gypsum Works to travel west on the A66). Acceleration and deceleration lanes, coupled with underpasses or bridges to remove the need for vehicles to turn right across the carriageway would also significantly reduce risk of accidents at those junctions most at risk. The stretch of road put forward for dualling from Appleby to Brough runs along the southern boundary of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Government's National Networks National Policy Statement says this about road building in protected landscapes: ‘There is a strong presumption against any significant road widening or the building of new roads and strategic rail freight interchanges in a National Park, the Broads and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, unless it can be shown there are compelling reasons for the new or enhanced capacity and with any benefits outweighing the costs very significantly. Planning of the Strategic Road Network should encourage routes that avoid National Parks, the Broads and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.’
National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure 10th December 2018: We have today submitted our response to the Consultation on the draft National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure. Expand 10th December 2018 We have today submitted our response to the Consultation on the draft National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure. Details of the consultation are below, followed by the main points of our response. To view or download our full response, use the link at the bottom of this item. Details of Consultation Update 6 – Consultation on the draft National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure begins We have today published our consultation on the draft National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure (NPS). All consultation documents are available from our Citizen Space website here: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/water/draft-national-policy-statement/. The consultation will close on Thursday 31 January 2019 at midnight. We would like your views on whether the draft NPS provides an appropriate and effective framework for the Examining Authority (the Planning Inspectorate) and the Secretary of State to examine and make decisions on development consent order applications for nationally significant water resources infrastructure projects in England. We would also like your views on the Assessment of Sustainability and Habitats Regulations Assessments that accompany the NPS. The types of infrastructure that the NPS will specifically apply to are reservoirs, water transfer and desalination projects. The Planning Act 2008 will be amended shortly to this effect and the Citizen Space website will include an update when this occurs. You can respond to this consultation by submitting your responses via the online survey at Citizen Space, by emailing the team or by post. Friends of the Lake District Response to Consultation Section 1: The draft NPS 1 Do you think the draft NPS sets out a clear need for nationally significant water resources infrastructure? Please provide reasons to support your answer. Our Response: We remain disappointed that the NPS does not provide a clear linking mechanism which requires water companies to prove they have significantly reduced water usage and leakage before they seek major additional infrastructure. We would urge that the ability to do this is looked at again. We reiterate our comments made in a previous consultation: Need is not static, it changes all the time. The WRMP are the documents which assess any potential deficit in demand and propose solutions. They operate on a 25 year timescale but are revised every 5 years. It appears rather strange therefore that there seems to be no parallel review of the NPS proposed. We may therefore end up with a situation where the need in WRMP is up to date, but is being assessed against out of date need identification in the NPS. How is this going to be resolved? 2 Do you think the draft NPS makes clear for water undertakers, the Examining Authority and the Secretary of State, the relationship between water resources management planning and applying for nationally significant infrastructure project development consent? Please provide reasons to support your answer. Our Response: We welcome the statement in para 4.9.10 that “The Secretary of State should refuse development consent in these areas except in exceptional circumstances and where it can be demonstrated that the development is in the public interest”. However, we feel that this presumption should be reflected by the designated landscapes being exempt from the NSIP process and that for these areas, such plans should be determined by local planning mechanisms as per current arrangements. 3 Are the assessment criteria included in the draft NPS appropriate? Please tell us your views, including any further relevant criteria you can identify. Our Response: We welcome the inclusion of many of our comments in previous consultations, particularly those relating to landscape, access, tranquillity, etc. 5 Do you have any other comments on the draft NPS which are not covered by the previous questions? Our Response: We remain horrified that Table 2.1 in the Appraisal of Sustainability Report refers to the potential Borrowbeck Reservoir. It is bizarre that the WRMP are required to show all options considered even if they are financially, environmentally and socially unacceptable. This is the case with the current United Utilities WRMP in that it identifies a potential reservoir at Borrowbeck. This is in a nationally designated landscape and would be totally unacceptable in landscape and environmental terms, yet has to be put in the plan. This is frankly ridiculous given stakeholder and company feedback. It is even more disconcerting that it is referred to as a feasible option when para 4.9.10 states such schemes will not normally be approved in designated landscapes. They may be feasible in building terms but never in landscape or environmental terms. The WRMP guidance needs to be reconsidered to remove schemes that will never be environmentally and socially acceptable, and the terminology in the NPS refined to use appropriate and not feasible. Section 2: Appraisal of Sustainability (AoS) and Habitats Regulations Assessment 7 Do you agree with the conclusions of the Appraisal of Sustainability Report and the recommendations for enhancing positive effects associated with the implementation of the draft NPS? If not, what do you think should be the key recommendations and why? Our Response: We do not agree with the conclusions re landscape, namely that the implementation of the draft NPS is likely “to result in a positive effect in respect of conserving and enhancing our landscapes and townscapes”. We do not see how this conclusion can be reached where there are no details of any schemes available. It put a significant emphasis on potential enhancement of schemes but does not specify what this may be. Reservoirs it is acknowledged are likely to be on greenfield, not brownfield sites and as such will have a significant change in landscape character. Water transfer schemes may be underground but there will be a requirement for the area of ground above any pipes not to be planted with trees or have walls across them. So, quite apart from physical infrastructure impacts such as buildings, we consider that it is impossible to say that there will automatically be a positive landscape impact. At best the assessment must be unknown until detailed plans are available for schemes. 8 Do you agree with the proposed arrangements for monitoring the significant effects of the implementation of the draft NPS? If not, what measures do you propose? Our Response: There appear to be no proposals for monitoring landscape or cultural heritage. Tables 4 and 6.1 in the Appraisal of Sustainability include no indicators for either of these subject areas. On that basis, no we do not agree with the proposed arrangements for monitoring. A baseline needs to be established based on the most detailed landscape character assessments done, and if there are none, then a baseline LCA and associated monitoring framework should be established as part of the process. Read / download our full response at this link (pdf)
Kendal Flood Defence Scheme Expand Kendal Flood Defence Scheme - We attended a consultation drop-in event on 17th October and have requested a meeting with the Environment Agency to get a better understanding of the proposals, which will affect the Kent catchment including Burneside, Staveley and Kentmere as well as Kendal itself.
Aerial Flight at Honister Slate Mine We received the disappointing news that the Secretary of State will not ‘call in’ the proposed zip-wires at Honister and so the Authority’s approval stands. The Secretary of State is no longer required to give reasons for his decision. Expand Update 25th July 2019 In November 2018, the Lake District National Park Authority decided to approve an application for a Dual Purpose Aerial Wire at Honister Slate Mine. We were concerned by the basis for their decision to approve, and requested that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ‘call in’ this application. The Lake District National Park Authority agreed not to issue their decision notice on the Honister Zip Wire until the Secretary of State decided whether or not he would ‘call-in’ the application for his approval or refusal. We received the disappointing news yesterday that the Secretary of State will not ‘call in’ the proposed zip-wires at Honister and so the Authority’s approval stands. The Secretary of State is no longer required to give reasons for his decision. Update 4th December 2018 We have been assured by the National Planning Casework Unit that the Lake District National Park Authority has agreed not to issue their decision notice on the Honister Zip Wire until the Secretary of State has confirmed whether or not he will call-in the application. 15th November 2018 Friends of the Lake District is concerned about the basis for the decision to approve an application for a Dual Purpose Aerial Wire at Honister Slate Mine, and has requested that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government “calls in” this application. This means we have asked that the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) is prevented from granting permission and for the application to be determined instead by the Secretary of State. We have done this because we believe the decision was contrary to legislation relating to National Parks and to national and local planning policy. The Sandford Principle requires that in National Parks, where there is a conflict between economic and landscape interests, the requirement to conserve and enhance the landscape must be given greater weight. In coming to their decision, the LDNPA gave significant weight to the economic benefits of the proposal, but limited value was placed on the non-visual aspects of landscape character. The decision was contrary to both the Authority’s own officer recommendations and Natural England’s objection on landscape impact grounds. The application has also been determined before a legally required assessment of the proposal’s impact on sites of international biodiversity importance has been concluded. We await the Secretary of State’s decision on whether or not the application will be called-in. If he agrees to call-in the case, he will also confirm that an inquiry will be held and the decision will be reviewed by a Planning Inspector. If he decides not to call it in, we will work with other interested organisations to consider whether any other action can be taken. Cumbria Wildlife Trust, ZipOff, the Open Spaces Society and CPRE all support our view and have also asked for the decision to be called in. Image credit: Ben Barden, Cumbria Photos 7th November 2018 Planning Application: Aerial Flight at Honister Slate Mine - APPROVED Friends of the Lake District considers there to be little justification for the Lake District National Park Authority Members ignoring the advice of its Planning Officer and agreeing to this development. We consider this to be a highly sensitive location and that this development will have a detrimental impact on the landscape character, tranquillity and biodiversity of the area. Both lines are intended to be used for the movement of stone and the shorter line is to be accessible for all including those who may not be able to access the full via ferrata. The applicant contends that the new uses outweigh the detrimental impacts of the proposal. Whilst the two proposed new uses of the wire are commendable in terms of supporting the existing business use of the site and providing a new experience in the Lake District which is accessible for all, in our opinion, they do not outweigh the detrimental impacts of the scheme. We consider the zip wire to be an inappropriate addition to the offering which will result in unacceptable detrimental landscape impacts. Our main concerns are: The conflicts with the National Park purposes The landscape and visual impacts of the development in this high fell landscape Impacts upon tranquillity by means of incongruous noise and movement at the site Transport impacts on the local road network Potential impacts upon open access land. Additionally, we feel that the application failed to provide sufficient information regarding the potential number of users, particularly on the additional shorter line. Whilst the capacity of the ‘main’ line is limited by the numbers of people completing the via ferrata there will be no such restriction on the shorter line and it is likely to become a popular attraction in its own right. The application did not address this issue and we are now concerned that this development will intensify the tourism and recreation activity on the site and create additional noise and traffic impacts. We also have major concerns relating to the potential for adverse impacts on international biodiversity designations; concerns shared by Natural England in its response to this application. 17th October 2018 Honister – decision to be made on 7th November. We have submitted a response to the recent extra consultation on the application, making clear that our concerns about the impacts on the landscape, tranquillity and biodiversity of the area remain. This is despite additional information being provided by the applicant that did clarify some of the queries we had raised in our earlier objection. We are pleased to see that Natural England has also responded to this extra consultation and that they share our concerns relating to the potential impact on international biodiversity designations. 13th September 2018 A further consultation is underway on proposals for a zip-wire at Honister Slate Mine. The proposals were submitted to the Lake District National Park Authority in January, but following comments received during consultation, the applicants were asked to provide further details of their plans. Now that this extra information has been received, people are being given a further chance to comment. Friends of the Lake District objected to the proposals due to impacts on landscape character, visual amenity and the tranquillity of the area and will be commenting again at this stage. The application can be viewed on www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/planningsearch The reference number is 7/2018/2011. The consultation closes on 8 October 2018 and comments can be made by emailing [email protected] or by writing to Lake District National Park Authority, Murley Moss, Kendal, LA9 7RL. It is expected that a decision on the proposals will be made at the Lake District National Park Authority’s Development Control Committee meeting on 7 November 2018. you'll find more detailed instructions on how to submit your own comments here> 13th March 2018 Written response submitted to the planning authority by Friends of the Lake District We have now written and submitted a full response to the planning authority which is now available to view / download at the link below: 7 2018 2011 Honister Zip Wire application FLD response.pdf 23rd February 2018 Planning Update: Honister Aerial Flight As you may be aware, another application has been submitted by Honister Slate Mine for an aerial flight (zip wire). Whilst the line of the wire remains the same as the 2012 application (7/2012/2243) the applicant considers the proposal to be different from previous applications because: The wire would be dual purpose and used to transport slate from the mine opening The secondary shorter line at the intermediate point will be accessible for all enabling disabled users and younger children to participate in the zip wire attraction. We recognise that both of these added uses are commendable in terms of supporting the existing business use of the site and providing a new experience in the Lake District which is accessible for all. However, we do not consider that these additional uses outweigh the detrimental impacts of the proposal which have previously resulted in the application being refused.We have carefully assessed the proposals, visited the site and, as an organisation which advocates for the landscape, we have taken the decision to object to the submitted proposals.Our main concerns are: The conflicts with the National Park purposes The landscape and visual impacts of the development in this high fell landscape Impacts upon tranquillity by means of incongruous noise and movement at the site Transport impacts on the local road network Potential impacts upon open access land. We consider that the application does not provide sufficient information regarding the potential number of users, particularly on the additional shorter line. Whilst the capacity of the ‘main’ line is limited by the numbers of people completing the via ferrata there would be no such restriction on the shorter line and it is likely to become a popular attraction in its own right.The application does not address this issue and we are concerned that this would intensify the tourism and recreation activity on the site and create additional noise and traffic impacts.Whilst we commend Honister Slate Mine for their diversification at the site, including the mine tours and via ferrata, we consider that the zip wire is an inappropriate addition to the offering which will result in unacceptable detrimental landscape impacts.From previous applications, we expect and respect that not everyone may agree with our position. Although we object as an organisation, we are encouraging our membership, and members of the public, to engage in the planning process whatever their view.The best way to make your voice heard is to write to the Lake District National Park Authority (the planning authority) with your views on the application. Anyone can make comments on a planning application regardless of where you live, and whether you are objecting to or supporting the proposal.You should email any comments to [email protected] and include Planning Reference Number 7/2018/2011 in your correspondence. The closing date for comments is 26th March 2018. You can also write to the planning authority. We've included some additional notes in the link below which also includes instructions for viewing or downloading this planning application. Additional Guidance on submitting comments to the Planning Authority>And finally, we will be making our full written response available online once it has been submitted to the planning authority.26th January 2018 We have been made aware that the planning proposal detailed below is now live and available to view online at the LDNPA planning portal. Planning Reference: 7/2018/2011 (Full Planning application) Proposal: Dual purpose aerial wire for extraction of stone and tourism use Location: Honister Slate Mine, Honister Pass, Borrowdale, Keswick, CA12 5XN View the application We have been invited to consult on the application and now that we are in receipt, we will be assessing as soon as possible. We will not be commenting on the application until we have thoroughly read and assessed the proposal. We have engaged with the applicants when they have requested and we will be interested to see if our advice has been incorporated into the development of the proposals. 12th January 2018 We are aware that Honister Slate Mine has submitted an application for a new zip wire. We will assess the proposal fully once sumbission has been processed and application is made available for download by the planning authority. 26th April 2017 We are aware that Honister Slate Mine is progressing an application for a new zip wire due to be submitted imminently . We have had pre application discussions with the applicants and their agent. We will assess the proposal fully once submitted. Given the likely interest in this proposal we intend to make our response available on this website page at the earliest opportunity.
Borwick Fold Appeal Decision We are very pleased to report that an Inspector has upheld the Lake District National Park Authority’s decision to refuse permission to develop a fish-farming facility at Borwick Fold Tarn, just north of Crook. Expand We are very pleased to report that an Inspector has upheld the Lake District National Park Authority’s (LDNPA’s) decision to refuse permission to develop a fish-farming facility at Borwick Fold Tarn, just north of Crook. Two iterations of the proposal were refused by the LDNPA. We challenged the proposal on both occasions and supported concerned local residents to do the same. The Inspector concluded that the proposal would negatively affect the character and appearance of the landscape and cause harm to the World Heritage Site, and that as a result, it was in conflict with several Local Plan policies. The full wording of the appeal decision is available on the LDNPA's website at:https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1872449/2020_03_04-Appeal-decision-letters.pdf
Selection panel Expand John Enwtistle OBE John is President of Friends of the Lake District, Emeritus Trustee of the Royal Academy Development Trust and former Chairman of Patrons of the RA Schools. He is a supporter of the Cumbrian arts including the Lakes Arts Society and Lakeland Arts. An amateur landscape artist he is also a keen collector of contemporary art. Harriet Fraser Poet and landscape artist Harriet is Patron of Friends of the Lake District and along, with partner Rob Fraser, forms somewhere-nowhere a creative partnership using photography, poetry, art, walking and research focused on sensitive environments and cultures. Her work has been exhibited in many locations, including Grizedale Forest, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, ONCA, Great North Museum, Royal Geographical Society, Royal College of Art and Wordsworth Museum. Philip Cropper Philip is currently Chair of Art Fund Cumbria, Friends of the Lake District Trustee and wildlife film-maker. Sarah Jane Campbell
Terms Expand Westmorland Dales: Land of Legends is open to anyone living or working in Cumbria. The closing date for entry is 1 August 2021. You agree to the sale of your work and agree to a donation of 50% of the final sale price to Friends of the Lake District (registered charity no. 1100759). There will be no other costs or commissions to pay. You agree to the reproducing of your image where necessary for catalogue, press, PR, marketing etc across all mediums including digital, social media and print. You accept that the selection panel’s decision is final. You may enter up to 3 pieces of work. All works must be available for sale during the exhibition. We will select work for the opening auction with your permission. The minimum sales value is to be £500 (there is no maximum limit). This may be the sales value of one work or a series of works. If your work is selected, you take responsibility by way of insurance to ensure your artwork is fully insured and packaged whilst in transit to and from the Gaddum Gallery. The organisers are not responsible for any loss, damage or otherwise spoiled work whilst the artwork is in transit. If your artwork is not sold by the Gaddum Gallery, it is your responsibility to collect the work after 10 October and by 17 October 2021. You accept that if selected, your artwork must arrive at the Gaddum Gallery no later than 2 September 2021 and will stay in the gallery on display throughout the entire exhibition. All works must be received in a ready-to-hang condition (details will be supplied to the selected artists by The Gaddum Gallery curator). All works will remain on exhibition at the gallery for the period of the exhibition. You agree that should you be selected that you will not liaise with the press or post on social media until Friends of the Lake District has announced all the selected artists. (All selected artists will receive a final copy of the announcement press release). Image A minimum of two digital images (jpgs) of your artwork must be supplied at the application stage via the website and We Transfer, one of the works itself and another of it in-situ (i.e. on a wall or easel). Please ensure the image quality is good. The image must not have been manipulated in any way. Please do not watermark the images. The image remains the copyright of the artist but may be reproduced in any publicity material, and on the Friends of the Lake District website. The Artwork You can submit, via the website, either a painting, drawing or mixed-media work. Your subject matter is Westmorland Dales: Land of Legends. You can interpret this in any way appropriate to your style or subject selection. This video of the history and key landscapes may be useful. Please supply a brief paragraph as to how your work relates to this theme. This may be simply the location, but please expand on the work's title. By entering your artwork you agree to all the above terms and conditions.
Contact Expand Contact If you have any questions or queries about the exhibition or terms and conditions please contact Jeanette Edgar: [email protected] If you have any problems with the application form or have any questions about Friends of the Lake District and its work please contact [email protected]. If you would like to learn more about the Westmorland Dales and the Heritage Lottery funded scheme then this is a useful resource: https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/westmorland-dales-hidden-landscapes-partnership. This map also gives you a general idea of the area known as the Westmorland Dales.
Key Details Expand The exhibition will take place from 10 September 2021 - 10 October 2021 at the Gaddum gallery at Brockhole, Windermere. Entry is free. The exhbition is open for all artists living or working in Cumbria. The closing date for entry is 1 August 2021. You can submit, via the website, either a painting, drawing or mixed-media work. Your work is to be inspired by Westmorland Dales: Land of Legends. You may enter up to 3 pieces of work. At least two high resolution images must be provided, one of the works itself and one “in-situ” to indicate scale. All works must be available for sale during the exhibition. We will select work for he opening auction with your permission. The minimum sales value of any work of series of works is to be £500 (there is no maximum limit). 50% of the sale value will be donated to Friends of the Lake District (registered charity no. 1100759). There will be no other costs or commission payment required. All works will remain on exhibition at the gallery for the period of the exhibition.
Friends of the Lake District Expand Friends of the Lake District We are an independent charity and the only membership organisation dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cumbria's landscapes. We believe that Cumbria offers some of the most spectacular and precious landscapes in the UK. We take action to protect and conserve the natural beauty of these landscapes for the benefit of visitors, local communities, wildlife and habitats. We run projects and events to celebrate the landscape and offer opporunities for everyone to engage with all the landscape has to offer. We work to secure a landscape that is: Beautiful, diverse, locally distinctive, tranquil and environmentally healthy; Conserved and enhanced; Accessible and enjoyed by all. We work to ensure that people: Are inspired by the beauty and diversity of the landscape; Have an understanding of how the landscape has been shaped; Care for and help look after the landscape, both for its own sake and for the benefits it brings to people’s lives.
Entry Expand Entry is free and open to everyone living and working in Cumbria. Full terms and conditions are available on this website.
Kent Flood Risk Management The latest Kendal Flood Risk Management Newsletter Expand The latest Kendal Flood Risk Management Newsletter provides an update on all 3 Phases of the planned flood defences works within and to the north of Kendal, including Burneside, Staveley and the wider Kent catchment. Read it here (pdf file)
Penrith Masterplan Expand 14th November 2018 Press Release issued today: Penrith Masterplan Concerns The Penrith Strategic Masterplan covering Penrith and land to the east of the town proposes three new villages, 5,560 houses, new jobs, town centre improvements and upgrades to local road infrastructure. Following the conclusion of an eight week public engagement process, Eden District Council’s ‘Beacon Villages’ website, which provides information about the masterplan, states that its intention will now be to prepare a report to go before Council Members in December 2018 which will include an overview of the engagement process and outline the next steps and timescales for taking forward a formal review of the Eden Local Plan next year. Local residents in the Penrith area have expressed concerns to landscape charity, Friends of the Lake District about the proposals including whether this scale of development is needed and negative impacts on the local landscape and infrastructure. In its own response to the consultation, Friends of the Lake District has focussed on similar concerns to those raised by residents and drawn attention to the cumulative impact of the proposals when viewed in conjunction with ‘garden village’ plans for 10,000 houses south of Carlisle and the emerging Eden Local Plan document, which itself proposes significant development. Lorayne Wall, Planning Officer at Friends of the Lake District, “We have concerns about the limited extent to which the impact of the proposals on the landscape has been assessed, but we also have significant concerns about the process that has been used to promote and develop the Masterplan document. “It is not clear for example how the ‘preferred option’ for the future of the area has been reached, what other options were considered and why they were excluded. Other concerns include that the current and proposed future status of the Masterplan is also unclear and no assessment has been made of the cumulative impacts of this scale of development taking place alongside other plans for significant development such as Carlisle’s ‘garden village’, A66 upgrades and development proposed in the Eden and other authorities’ Local Plans. “We have been working closely with members of the local community and it’s great to see so many of them getting involved and ensuring that they get their say in the future of their town and the wider Eden valley. We’ll continue our work with them to ensure that our shared concerns are taken on board.” To find out more about the Masterplan, including details of several upcoming consultation events and how to comment, visit http://beaconvillages.co.uk/ Update 17 October 2018 Penrith Masterplan – We attended a consultation drop-in event on 17th October and are preparing a response to the proposals for over 5000 houses to the east of Penrith. The deadline is 2nd November. Eden District Council is consulting on a Masterplan covering Penrith and land to the east of the town, including the Beacon Hill. The Masterplan proposes three new villages, 5,560 houses, new jobs, town centre improvements and upgrades to local road infrastructure. Local residents in the Penrith area have expressed concerns to Friends of the Lake District about the proposals including whether this scale of development is needed and negative impacts on the local landscape and infrastructure. A local campaign group called ‘Keep Penrith Special’ has formed. We will be reviewing the Masterplan and preparing a response to the consultation, which ends on 2nd November. Our response is likely to focus on similar issues to those raised by local people, as well as on the cumulative effects of the proposals with ‘garden village’ plans for 10,000 houses south of Carlisle and the emerging Eden Local Plan document, which itself proposes significant development. People can view the Masterplan and find out more, including details of several upcoming consultation events and how to comment, at http://beaconvillages.co.uk/
Energy proposals at Old Hutton Expand 6th November 2018 A proposal for a new gas-fired power station in open countryside near Old Hutton, three miles from Kendal was turned down by planning committee for a second time this year on Friday 2nd November, by a whisker. Thirty eight members of the public, joined landscape conservation charity Friends of the Lake District’s planning officer Lorayne Wall to speak against the proposal at the planning committee meeting. South Lakeland District Council had recommended it for approval, despite significant objections from local residents. Members of the planning committee voted 5 votes to 5, with one abstention and the chair having the casting vote, voted against accepting the application. A proposal for a larger power station and battery storage facility on the site of an existing electrical substation was turned down in January this year. The application covered an area of just over three hectares of land, in open countryside close to Old Hutton village, and would have roughly doubled the size of the existing electricity substation there. Many in local communities have campaigned against the proposals since their original submission in May 2017. The original application, for a 49.99MW battery storage facility and a 49.99MW gas fired electricity generation station on land to the north of the Old Hutton Substation, was turned down by planners in January this year. This new application for a gas fired power station at the site is without the battery storage facility this time.Friends of the Lake District objected to the two original schemes and also objected to the recent proposal, on the same grounds as our earlier objection, on the basis of landscape and visual impacts in a rural agricultural landscape, transport impacts on the local rural roads, including through nearby villages and hamlets, and the removal of diverse hedgerow and trees to enable access. Read more about this and our response here. Lorayne Wall, Friends of the Lake District’s planning officer, said: “We were pleased that proposals for a gas-fired power station in open countryside near Old Hutton were rejected for the second time this year on Friday. This was due in no small part to almost 40 local community members, along with MP Tim Farron and the Leader of South Lakeland District Council, Giles Archibald, who all spoke strongly against the proposal at planning committee.” Update 31st October 2018 South Lakeland District Council has recommended the proposal for a gas fired power station at Old Hutton for APPROVAL. We will be appearing at the planning committee meeting on Friday 2nd November to present our objections to the proposal. Update 13th July 2018 Gas fired power station at Old Hutton resubmitted The applicant has lodged a new application for a gas fired power station at the site. It is a resubmission and replaces the two earlier applications, for a gas fired electricity generating station and a battery storage facility that were rejected in January. This time the new application is for a 49.99W gas fired power station on the site (no battery storage facility). Friends of the Lake District objected to the two original schemes and also object to the current proposal, on the same grounds as our earlier objection, on the basis of landscape and visual impacts in a rural agricultural landscape, transport impacts on the local rural roads, including through nearby villages and hamlets, and the removal of diverse hedgerow and trees to enable access. View our response here. You can view the proposal on the South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) website here by searching on reference SL/2018/0388. You can also arrange to view the applications at the SLDC offices in Kendal. You can respond to this application by submitting comments via the SLDC website, or by email, send your comments to [email protected] OR write to: Development Management Group Manager South Lakeland House Lowther Street Kendal LA9 4DL You must quote the reference SL/2018/0388 in your correspondence. The official deadline for making comments has now passed, (20th July) but you can still send comments in until the planning committee meeting at which the decision will be made. There is currently no date for this yet. Our response to the previous applications can be read here. Update 5th January 2018 South Lakeland District Council Planning Committee has rejected two applications for a 49.99MW Battery storage facility and a 49.99MW gas fired electricity generation station on land to the north of the Old Hutton Substation. Read our full press release Update 11th October 2017 We expected this application would go to Committee in late September. However, there has been an ongoing dialogue between South Lakeland District Council and the Planning Inspectorate as to whether or not the two applications should be determined by the council or under the NSIP (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project) process by the Planning Inspectorate, given both are marginally under the 50MW threshold but cumulatively are far above that threshold. An extension of time, until 5th January 2018, to determine the applicant has been agreed. Update 27th June 2017 Application SL/2017/0425 comprising of the Installation of a 49.99 MW battery storage facility with associated equipment, and application SL/2017/0426 comprising of the installation of gas fired electricity generating station. You can still respond to these applications by submitting comments via the South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) website. The application reference numbers are: SL/2017/0425 and SL/2017/0426 and can be accessed via these links or by searching on the SLDC website. You can also arrange to view the applications at the SLDC offices in Kendal. Update 14th June 2017 Application SL/2017/0425 comprising of the Installation of a 49.99 MW battery storage facility with associated equipment, and application SL/2017/0426 comprising of the installation of gas fired electricity generating station. Friends of the Lake District have assessed the above proposals and objected to both on the basis of landscape and visual impacts, both individually and cumulatively, transport impacts and the removal of diverse hedgerow to enable access. We do not consider that the applications have fully assessed the impacts of these proposals and they do not provide sufficient evidence to substantiate the arguments for the proposals. Our full response can be read here. 16th May 2017 We are aware that two planning applications have been submitted to South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) for significant energy related infrastructure on land at Greenmoor Bank, Old Hutton Kendal. Our planning officer is currently assessing these proposals and will issue our written responses to the application in due course. Initial assessment has raised concerns over the cumulative impacts of the development alongside current infrastructure as well as the two applications combined. We are particularly concerned regarding detrimental impacts on landscape character and visual amenity from key viewpoints including the Helm. The application reference numbers are: SL/2017/0425 and SL/2017/0426 and can be accessed via the SLDC website or by arranging to view the application at the SLDC offices in Kendal.
Kirkby Moor Windfarm We were disappointed to hear that the planning appeal has been allowed relating to the extension of life of Kirkby Moor Windfarm. Permission has been granted to extend the life of the existing turbines until 31 March 2027, followed by a further year to carry out decommissioning works. Expand Update 30th July 2019 We were disappointed to hear yesterday (29th July 2019) that the planning appeal has been allowed relating to the extension of life of Kirkby Moor Windfarm. Arguments that the proposal did not constitute repowering and therefore did not find special favour in the National Planning Policy Framework were rejected, along with other arguments around landscape, heritage, noise and residential amenity impacts, impacts on the setting of the National Park and the proposed National Park extensions. The outcome of this case may influence decisions on other proposals to extend the life of windfarms. We joined and worked closely with local group Kirkby Moor Protectors to challenge the proposal and participated with them in the planning inquiry held in Ulverston in January this year. Despite this outcome, working closely with the community in this way was a very positive experience and we gained valuable experience through being directly involved in the process. The decision means that permission has been granted to extend the life (duration of the planning permission) of the existing turbines until 31 March 2027, followed by a further year to carry out decommissioning works. The original application in 2015 by RWE to decommission the 12 existing turbines on the Kirkby Moor site and replace them with 6 turbines with a blade tip height of 115m, over two and a half times the height of the current turbines, was refused and not appealed. The application by Zephyr Investments to instead extend the duration for which the turbines would remain in place was submitted in 2017 and was also refused, but the company appealed, resulting in this inquiry. Update 3rd July 2019 We are still waiting the Inspector’s decision in relation to an application to extend the time the Kirkby Moor windfarm is permitted to remain in situ. The decision was originally expected in May but we have now been informed that the decision will be made on or before 12th August. Update 7th February 2019 We are expecting a decision on Kirkby Moor wind farm on or before 21st May 2019. Update 1st February 2019 On Tuesday 29th January, we spoke at the Inquiry into the into the appeal against refusal of an application to extend the life of the wind farm by 8 years. Our objection is primarily on the grounds of landscape impacts. We stood with members of the community and Parish and District Councillors as a ‘Rule 6’ group, meaning we had the benefit of an experienced advocate, a collective voice and formal standing at the Inquiry. All those that spoke put their cases across fairly and clearly and it was heartening to see the way in which the community had come together. We felt the Inquiry went well and was conducted very fairly. The Inspector will now undertake some further site visits before preparing his report and issuing his decision. This is expected to take several weeks, but we will provide updates as soon as we receive news on the outcome. Update 25th January 2019 The second week of the Kirkby Moor Wind Farm Planning Inquiry will begin at 10am on Tuesday 29th January in the Supper Room (upstairs) at Coronation Hall, Ulverston with subsequent days commencing at 10am. It reconvenes to continue the Inquiry into the appeal against refusal of an application to extend the life of the wind farm by 8 years. Friends of the Lake District will be attending the Inquiry and will be speaking on Tuesday 29th (likely to be pm). Members of the public are welcome to attend and will have an opportunity to speak on Wednesday 30th January. The last day has been scheduled for Friday 1st February but it is possible, if good progress is made, that the Inquiry will finish earlier. Update 14th December 2018 We are preparing to take part in the public inquiry that will determine the appeal referred to in the extract below (2nd August 2018). The appeal will take place over 2 weeks from 21st January at the Coronation Hall, Ulverston, with the exact timetable yet to be set out. Update 2nd August 2018 Zephyr Investments has appealed against South Lakeland District Council’s decision to refuse its application to extend the life of its windfarm at Kirkby Moor. The windfarm, on the edge of the Lake District National Park on the Furness Peninsula, was granted temporary planning permission for 25 years in 1992. It will now go to a public inquiry in January 2019. The formal deadline for the public to object is 7 August but people can still make their views heard beyond that through local parish councils and campaign groups. We objected previously (to the original scheme, a re-powering of the scheme and to the application to extend its life) and will be adding further evidence for our objection as part of the appeal process - and we will be doing so as part of a 'Rule 6 coalition' along with other parties that have concerns about the proposal, mainly the group ‘Kirkby Moor Protectors’. 6th December 2017 Friends of the Lake District welcomes the decision by South Lakeland District Council Planning Committee to refuse the application by Zephyr Investments to retain the turbines on Kirby Moor, on the Furness peninsula, Cumbria, until 31st March 2027. Read our press release Time runs out for Kirkby Moor Windfarm 25th September 2017 We responded to the application to vary condition 6 - to extend the life of the wind farm. Read our response 26th November 2015 South Lakeland District Council’s planning committee has refused the application for repowering the Kirkby Moor windfarm. The proposal by energy company RWE comprised the decommissioning of the 12 existing turbines on the Kirkby Moor site and replacing them with 6 turbines with a blade tip height of 115m, over two and a half times the height of the current turbines. Read more...