We welcome information and advice from our members and the public on planning applications and issues that we may be unaware of. We are grateful that so many share our concern for and love of the landscape. We will always carefully consider issues raised. However, as a charitable organisation working with limited resources, including time, we must prioritise our work and our responses carefully. We strive to prioritise those instances where there is the greatest threat of impact on the landscape.

When we do become involved in a planning case, our position must be well researched and in line with our own planning policy and our remit as a landscape organisation. This professional and evidence-based approach demands a large investment of time and expertise, which cannot be devoted to all applications.

Friends of the Lake District’s response is always based on a thorough appraisal of a planning application by our Planning Officer, who then provides our written response and, if appropriate, public comment. We are grateful to members, supporters and others who offer insightful, accurate and informed help when we comment on proposals that impact on the landscape of Cumbria and the Lake District.

We encourage anyone with planning concerns to involve themselves in the planning process and to make their views known. The planning authority is there to facilitate this and everyone has the right to voice concerns about or support for planning applications.

We provide information on our website on how to contact the Lake District National Park Authority and other Cumbrian planning authorities and how to submit your own comments on a planning application. See our page on 'Writing to the Planning Authority' We also publish details of our most recent planning-related work on the 'Current Planning Applications' page of our website.